[dp0622]

I’m sure a lot more was done to the families of those who escaped than just re education.

How did they make it all the way through north korea to Souh Korea?

They worked in China. I dont have a map in front of me but is there any part of China that is closer to South Korea than the rest?

[TigerLikesRooster]

Not really. They escape to S. Korean diplomatic missions in China. If that is not possible, they usually take long detour. Go to Southern China, and cross over to S. East Asian country bordering China such as Laos, Vietnam, sometimes Thailand. Frequently, they are first caught by border guards and later turned over to S. Korean diplomatic missions. In many cases, they use underground railroad, trying to evade Chinese securities.

In a few cases, N. Koreans escape via sea. These are usually group defections. Multiple family members hop on a boat and sail to S. Korea. Some others escaped to Japan taking long voyage from N. Korean coast. Some years ago, there was an attempt by escaped N. Koreans to charter a boat in China to reach S. Korea, which did not succeed as far as I can remember.