News of an entire family defecting to South Korea on a wooden boat across the West Sea’s Northern Limit Line (NLL) is spreading rapidly among people living in the China-North Korea border region.
Speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, a reporting partner in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on Tuesday that “people who have daily contact with other countries, like China or South Korea, are the ones spreading the news.”
According to the reporting partner, rumors spreading in the region are saying that “two families from Kangryong [in South Hwanghae Province], relatives and a young couple, took a boat to South Korea,” and that “they prepared to take the East Sea route for over half a year, including building the boat themselves, before arriving safely [in South Korea].”
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to harsher crackdowns in China-North Korea border areas like Hoeryong, making it difficult for people to defect from the country. Many Hoeryong residents are envious of those who defected, the reporting partner said.
“Border residents have long depended on smuggling to make a living, but the pandemic border closure cut off all smuggling. People are now facing hard times comparable to the hardships suffered during the Arduous March. Some people might want to defect, but border guards will shoot anyone even approaching the border area, so dreams of defecting stay nothing but dreams.
“We have heard plenty of rumors about people who risked their lives to cross the border following the outbreak of COVID-19. These attempts were unsuccessful, and those involved were either dragged off to political prison camps or shot and killed by border guards. Everyone was relieved to hear news about not just one or two people but an entire family escaping here [North Korea] successfully.”
North Koreans express envy toward those who defected
The reporting partner said that people are whispering to each other about the incident, saying for example: “It’s such a relief they made it safely,” “I feel so happy about it, almost like I was the one who defected,” “People living near the ocean have it good because they can take a boat to the South,” and “I hope we’ll get that kind of opportunity, too.”
Some people are making comments such as “I get goosebumps just imagining how nerve-wracking it must have been to try take a child onto the boat while dodging detection from so many places,” and that “the whole family] could have died in a split-second, but they must have had someone above looking out for them.’
News of the family’s defection by boat has also spread to the city of Hyesan, with city residents likewise expressing envy toward the family that escaped. Those who heard the news were both surprised to hear an entire family had successfully defected, but could only let out a deep sigh when comparing the escaped family’s fortunes to their own.
A reporting partner based in Yanggang Province told Daily NK that “Here [in Yanggang Province] it’s hard just to get near the Yalu River, and even then you can’t get to South Korea without first going through China, which is also dangerous. For an entire family to go all together, and directly to South Korea at that, makes people quite jealous. Some people are saying they’d be happy if they could even send just their children [to South Korea].”
These expressions of envy suggest that many people also want to defect, the reporting partner claimed.
“It is only getting harder to make a living these days, no matter how hard you work. So it’s natural that people want to defect. Until the government ensures that people no longer starve, there will always be people who will try to leave, no matter how strictly the state enforces its policies or implements punishments.”
Translated by Rose Adams. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea and China. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
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