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Escaping North Korea – documentary on BBC

Escaping North Korea title

A 50-minute documentary currently available on BBC’s iPlayer service for the next few days. Details below, from the BBC website:

This World: Escaping North Korea
International investigative documentary series.

The dramatic stories of North Koreans who are risking everything, including torture and execution, to escape the repression and hunger of their homeland and reach safety in the South.

The border between the two Koreas is so heavily guarded that refugees are forced to flee into China, dodging border guards and risking freezing to death crossing the river that divides the two countries. Once in China, they are forced to live secret lives, the women often sold into forced marriages or prostitution, because if discovered, the Chinese authorities will send them back.

This film follows two women who have decided to embark on the next stage of the journey, a desperate attempt to reach South Korea. For May, it involves a four thousand mile journey through the jungles of Laos and Thailand, to claim asylum in Bangkok. For Guem Hee, it means buying a fake passport and risking arrest at any moment. For both women, it is a moving story of leaving their loved ones behind in the biggest gamble of their lives.

Broadcast on: BBC Two, 7:00pm Monday 6th April 2009
Duration: 50 minutes
Available until: 7:59pm Monday 13th April 2009
Categories: News, Factual

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