They traveled for two days by bus to Qingdao which has a large Korean population. There they stayed at a shelter run by South Koreans and Chinese missionaries. Their best hope was to get to Mongolia through the Gobi Desert in order to get help from South Korean diplomats there. South Korea’s government is friendly to North Korean defectors and has helped thousands of them get settled within their borders.
Yeonmi and her mother joined a group and together they trekked into the Gobi Desert and crossed into Mongolia. At the border, they were stopped by Mongolian guards who said that they would be forced to return to China. Being sent back by guards to China would ensure that Chinese authorities would return them to North Korea. Yeonmi and her mother begged to be allowed to stay but the guards insisted that they would be returned to China. As an act of desperation, both Yoenmi and her mother took knives from their belongings and held them to their throats. They swore to the guards they would kill themselves before returning to China.
The guards took them both into custody. They were eventually sent to a detention center in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator. Weeks later they were met by South Korean officials who got them on a plane to Seoul, South Korea’s capital.
For a girl from an impoverished North Korea, the amenities of South Korea felt magical. From moving sidewalks to clean restrooms and a bustling capital filled with cars, people and media, it was a big adjustment. Yoenmi and her mother both got jobs and saved money for Yoenmi to return to school. She was even reunited with her sister who also made it to South Korea. Today she travels around the world advocating for those still left behind in North Korea and helping those who are on the journey to get out of the repressive regime.
There are over 27,000 North Korean defectors living in South Korea today. With the tightening of security and increased punishments for those helping defectors, just getting to China can cost a North Korean $8,000 in bribes and travel.
The GDP per capita in North Korea in 2014 was $1,800. In 2015, North Korea was tied with South Korea as the most corrupt country in the world. The river where Yeonmi and her mother crossed, is now lined with barbed wire fences, on both sides. Half of North Korea’s population lives in extreme poverty.
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