THE DEFECTOR TRANSCRIPT-TVO Version Oct 8th    

00:37
Tell her not to come with anyone.
Just in case, circle around the block a few times and then head home.
Take her phone away,…
As soon as you see her, take her phone away, turn it off and put it away, okay?
    
In 2001 I escaped North Korea. I was a North Korean refugee myself.
Since then I’ve helped many North Korean refugees and so far I brought about 500 people over.

If a person does not have freedom you exist as if you were not alive

The sky is wide and blue and watches over all the many countries that lie beneath it.
But why doesn’t heaven watch over us North Koreans, letting us suffer so much… it’s so sad.

01:54
Life is desperate and so many things have gone wrong with our country.
The government doesn’t give us a thing, but they keep forcing us to work.
I don’t want to live anymore.
Even if I die trying, I want to get out of this country

03:00
A North Korean Defector’s Journey begins here at the Tumen River, a natural boarder between China and North Korea.

Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans try to escape this way.

Not everyone makes it across.

They are fleeing from starvation and oppression. More than 3 million in the country have died of hunger since the famine in the 1990s.

03:43
Most want to escape to South Korea, but the border between North and South is the most militarized frontier in the world.

So defectors risk their lives and cross illegally into Northern China

04:10
Let’s see, I’m at...

We are in China near the North Korean border and I’ve just met Dragon, a broker who guides North Korean defectors escaping through China.

I’m coming to meet you. Get ready.
Where are you?

He’s picking up defectors as he organizes his next group escape.

I’m not sure where it is... can you just come down?

You came out by yourself right?

I want to follow Dragon’s group of defectors and tell their story.

Let’s go, let’s go!

I feel a kinship with them for I am Korean too, but born in Canada. My parents left Korea soon after the Korean war divided the country into North and South.

05:12
Sookja escaped from the North, having crossed the Tumen River. She came to find her sister who went missing in China years ago.

It’s been 7 years since I heard any news from my sister.
I want to see her badly... I really miss her.

When Yonghee escaped North Korea 7 years ago, she was kidnapped by Chinese traffickers. She’s been living in hiding ever since.

I was sold to someone at Hunan for $3500.
They said they'd kill me if I didn't get married, so I went with them.

It will be a tough journey but I’ve set my mind to go.

06:06
I’ll be filming undercover as I follow them on their 3,000 mile journey out of China. But I’m uncomfortable about trusting Dragon because as a broker, everything he does is illegal.

I am a so-called “broker.”
Normally when we say “broker” people think of a shady guy, doing illegal work.
To put it in a better light,
I rescue North Korean defectors who are in hiding in China or Southern Asia.
I’m a human rights activist.

06:52
Dragon is about to choose his next group of defectors.
He takes Yonghee and Sookja to meet other North Koreans who hope to join the group.
They are meeting in a private room in a karaoke bar. They’re afraid of getting caught by Chinese police.

The Chinese government doesn’t recognize North Korean migrants as refugees.
They arrest defectors and repatriate them back to North Korea

Remember Ranee?
Ranee got caught!
But the girl who was with Ranee managed to escape, she got away.

These are the lucky ones who made it out. Only a few weeks ago Sook-Ja risked her life to get out of North Korea.

08:37
I walked towards the North Korean border, near Samhap.
I approached the shore of the freezing Tumen River. 

I knew if I didn’t make it across the river I’d die. I was terrified.
The river was half-frozen. I was panicking.


The water level was above my waist and the current kept carrying me downstream. 

When I crossed it was so cold, my whole body was shaking.
I couldn’t breath.


I sat there for 5 minutes before I realized I had to snap out of it.
If I sit here the North Korean guards could see me and shoot me down.

So I ran up into the mountains.

That’s how I made it to China.

09:40


You’ve gotten prettier.

You were pretty before, but now you’re even prettier.

Oh I’m not pretty.

Okay you’re not pretty, you’re good looking.

As I sit with them, I learn that 80-90% of North Korean defectors are women. Many of whom fall into the hands of traffickers.
Eight years ago Yong-Hee was sold as a bride to a Chinese man.


Then I was sold to a Chinese man whom I’m currently with.
I wanted to leave but my husband refused.
But we are North Koreans and there’s an order out to catch us.
I’m always terrified! Everyday I think someone’s going to catch me.
Even now he doesn’t know that I’ve run away. I disconnected my phone.

10:36
Let’s put difficult memories behind us,.

Better days will come.


It’s my birthday today.
Now you look like a Queen.
What are your plans for the future?
I want to go to South Korea.

Each of these defectors want to join Dragon’s group escaping out of China. But he won’t have room for everyone.

The problem is the money.
The going price is about $3,000 for single defector.
We have to do maintenance for the safehouse.
If I lease an apartment, then I pay rent year after year.
We have to provide food for them.
There have to be profits in order for us to work.

It comes down to who can pay how much.

11:46
In addition to brokers, there are others helping North Korean defectors. It’s a global network built on cell phone calls and word of mouth. In fact, I was introduced to Dragon through a defector he helped several years ago, Mr. Heo, who now lives in Canada.

Hello, it’s me. We chatted a while ago.

I wanted to ask another favour,
I know an old lady here in Toronto who lost her daughter in China about 10 years ago.

Her name?

Can you tell me when she was sold?


Her daughter originally went to work at a ginseng farm… 
But that’s all she knows.

Do you think you can find her?


It’s heart-breaking.

We’re all North Koreans here.

I’ll get my contacts to really search through that part of China.
Dragon helped me, he helps a lot of North Korean defectors.

We escaped North Korea in 2008 and hid in China for several years.

We hid in the mountains always afraid the Chinese Police might arrest us.
We got pregnant with our first child and I thought we can endure the suffering, but bring a baby into this life?
We had to get out of China, and that’s how I got to Canada.

14:06
Dragon has to decide on how many defectors he’ll take on the escape out of China.

If I’m too greedy or make a mistake I could gamble away everyone’s fate.
I've decided to make a group of 5 this time.
For safety, rather than taking everyone, let’s just take 5 now. Okay?
Do you know who you'll take?
Yes we've selected those people and it's all ready now.

Among those selected are the first two women I met, Yong-Hee and Sook-Ja.

It’s good… he said he would bring us so we were relieved.
When I first met Dragon, I was scared a little, but then I felt reassured.
To know someone who might get me to South Korea gave me confidence.

15:27
Maybe I wasn’t born a patriot or a good person.
I used to be in a North Korean commando unit.
I learned things like patrol, attack, assassinations, kidnapping, planting explosives.
But under the dictatorship they said, ‘You’ll never amount to anything.’
‘Because your grandfather did something during the war,’ they said.
I lost everything.
All the suffering, a decade of military achievements, was gone in a split second.
There’s a saying: you fall face-down ad the back of your head cracks open.

16:40
Finally the day has arrived. The defectors are embarking on the journey of their lives. They’ve already escaped North Korea, but the riskiest part of the journey lies ahead as they attempt to make it out of China without getting caught.

What we do in China is divided into three stages.
One person can’t guide the defectors in a single stop, from Yanji to the border.

There are safety issues.

So we take these people all the way to Kunming. 

There’s a safehouse there and people are waiting.
When the time comes we leave right away.

For Yong-Hee and Sook-Ja, this is the first time the defectors are traveling in broad daylight.
We follow them with a concealed camera.

They don’t dare speak Korean for fear of being discovered.

It was the first time taking this kind of bus, so I was scared.
I was so tense thinking that maybe they could catch us on the bus.

Sook-Ja has at least 3,000 miles more to go before she’s truly free.

Under the noise of the bus, Dragon tells me about the next leg of the journey.
On that stretch of highway they check everyone’s IDs.
Because the defectors come through Samsung into the mainland.
In order to avoid the inspection area, we use either a personal car or train.


They only inspect the trains at night, and early morning.

So we could ride the trains between inspection times
and then get back on a bus.


As the defectors and my crew arrive at the drop off point, Dragon is still making arrangements for the second part of their journey.

You’re trying to make a left turn now?

OK, then make a left and go back to where we were. We’ll go back there.

You see the yellow bus on the left side?

We’ll be in front of the yellow bus, so just park in front of it.
Let’s go across the street.

Get in the back… get in the back.

20:11
We have arrived in Xian where there is a temporary safehouse set up for the defectors.

Sook-Ja has to come to peace about leaving China without having found her sister.
    
I haven’t seen her once, or even talked on the phone since she left.

Your sister must have been sold?

Yes, she was sold.

So you haven’t seen her in 7 years?

No.

Geez…

I cried for so long…
I wanted to kill myself too.


Everyone has a painful story of their own but I didn’t know she had such heartache.

21:09
I came here alone without any family.
My parents, siblings, nephews, relatives, are all in North Korea.
I contact them once or twice a year… and send them money regularly.



We’ve all come together for this journey. 

Let’s have some applause, but not too loud.
Congratulations on having made it this far.

Thank you.

Cheers.


Although sometimes I joke around with you…
If I don’t stay sharp and keep you in line, you’ll be gone forever.

So if I’m strict with you sometimes, or if I raise my voice and scare you, you have to understand why.

Breaking news, North Korean President Kim Jong-Il has died.

This announcement comes as a shock for many North Koreans. Images from inside the country show people mourning in dramatic displays of emotion. Crowds have gathered at all major squares in Pyongyang…
Kim Jong Un takes the helm, and one of his first decrees is to crack down on defectors. Both Korean and Chinese forces are increasing security measures.

The first thing Kim Jong-Un said was “Do not forgive traitors.”
When it comes to defectors,  Kim Jong Un is more cruel and ruthless.
This year they’ve arrested more than 100 North Korean defectors so far.

23:07
All the defectors in Dragon’s group have left behind husbands, wives and children in North Korea or in China.

Should they be caught, their family members will be punished in retribution for their escape.

Sook-Ja knows what that means.

While still living in North Korea, she tried to get in touch with her sister in China using a cell phone, which is illegal for the average North Korean. She got caught by state police.

They hit me with leather gloves on, calling me a bitch.
‘Tell the truth, don’t lie.’

‘Where did you find it?’
They hit me and punched me, my eyes were all black and bruised from the beatings. 

They grabbed me by my hair and shook me.

My parents were heart-broken when they saw me, they cried so hard.  

I thought honestly, there’s nothing more I can say. If you kill me then so be it.

If they are sent back to North Korea (from China) North Korea will see them as traitors, and they just starve them.
You stay for 6 months in prison and you might come out dead.

25:23
When I talk to my North Korean defector friends here in Canada some of them still can’t sleep from fear.

While he helps others, Mr. Heo is waiting for his own refugee hearing to find out if he can stay in Canada.


If I pass the hearing, then I can live in Canada.

If I fail, where would I go? I feel nervous now.


Please have a seat.
I made a phone call to China today.

Thank you.

They said they’ll do their best to find your daughter.

Yes

They’re going to try hard.
I think it’s going to go well.

Yes

How great it would be if we found her!

Even my grandchildren in North Korea, they’ve been waiting more than 10 years for their mother to return. They don’t know if she’s dead or alive.


I wanted to escape with their mother but I had no idea where she was in China.


27:28
It’s taken some time to arrange the next part of the defector’s trip through China. Dragon’s getting nervous about my film crew. 


Yes, we can do that… is that OK then?

We have to go completely undercover, we have to act like spies in order to prevent any slip-ups.

I get caught again I’ll serve double the time.

I’ll be in prison for more than ten years.


I came here knowing that I’ll probably get caught.

I already told my wife and crew what to do if something happens to me.

Dragon has to do one more thing before they embark again.

We first go there to buy phone cards.

You need me to come with you?
Yup, just hide it.

An unused cell phone can’t be traced. This will be their lifeline if the defectors get separated as they cross from China into Laos and Thailand.

29:16
With the news of Kim Jong Un’s crackdown, everyone is on edge.

Because you’re the oldest and speak Chinese, 
you can be responsible for this.

I’m trusting you with this cell phone, you should hide it well.
Don’t lose it.

Bring the girls out, all of them.


Hey girls, come on out, all of you!

Come on, quickly quickly.


First off, when you leave Kunming and you’re out of China, we’ll let you call your family.


Secondly, in Thailand they’re going to ask you who brought you over.

But you guys don’t know my name.

They’ll show you pictures of brokers like me…
there’s a bad photo of me when I was young.

Tell them, “No, that’s not him.”

Dragon seems more concerned for his own safety than that of the group. I’m worried for the defectors.

Aren’t you scared?

No, I’m not scared.
Oh, really?


Sook-ja, you’re one tough bastard!

Dragon leaves the room to take an unexpected phone call. I follow him.

Let's do that… OK.
What was that about?
We prepared the van and a driver for people but I don't think I'll be able to go.
I won’t be able to join them.
Why not? You said you'd go.

It’s not going to help if I go.
But what about us? What if we get caught?
If we assume we’ll get caught, we can’t do this work.
But don't they do spot checks on highways? –How do you say spot check in Korean?
We checked ahead of time today, and yesterday there were no spot checks either.
Ok.

31:46
Neither the defectors or my crew are happy that Dragon is staying behind, but there’s nothing we can do about it as we head into the longest part of the journey.

Alright, let’s get going.



That morning, the defectors and my crew get into a van without Dragon.

This Chinese driver doesn’t know his passengers are North Korean defectors. He thinks they’re migrant workers. If he discovers who they are, he could decide to report them.


I was scared.
We carried our backpacks and took a bus and a car with Chinese people.
Now if I want to live, courage should overcome fear.
And I want to live.
I’m leaving China after 8 years.

It feels weird, I feel sad.

I miss my father and mother… 
I’m not going to cry.




This van ride is the point of no return for Yong-Hee and Sook-Ja.

I miss my mother a lot. My father passed away. I miss my mother a lot.

We have a 12-hour journey ahead and we’re not breaking for meals, it’s too risky.

As we head west we see more police cars on the road. At one point, a cop car pulls up from the left… He’s escorting a passenger van off the highway. It’s identical to the van we’re traveling in.

So the Laotian guide takes you to Thailand, and then you’re on your own?
Yes.
When we enter Thailand we’ll have to find the officials ourselves.
Dragon says we’re on our own until we meet you there.

35:29
The defectors arrive at their drop off point in Kunming.

Yong-hee, Sook-Ja and the group will continue toward the border to cross into the Laotian jungle on foot.

Now I have to leave the group… We’ll travel separately because we pose too great a risk for the defectors as they cross the borders illegally.

The plan is to meet them inside the Thai border in two days.

36:27
We arrive at the town by the Mekong River where Dragon told us we’d meet the group. We have no way to contact them, so all we can do is wait for the call.

Somewhere in the Golden Triangle, Yong-Hee, Sook-Ja and the others forge through a 200 kilometer span of Loatian jungle. It’s rife with drug trafficker, smugglers, and police patrols. Defectors who are caught are turned back to the Chinese police.

So our group was supposed to have arrived last night or this morning and call me. But they haven’t called and so I’m not sure where they are. 


We’re a little worried, I’m worried. They’ve come a long way crossing the border from North Korea into China and then all those transfers within China. 


It would really be a heartbreaking thing if they got caught somewhere in the final leg of their journey, so I’m really hopeful that I get a phone call very soon.

38:04
By night there’s still no news. I call Dragon again and ask for the Laotian guide’s cell number. But he refuses to give it to me.


These guys are smugglers, they work for money.

They carry guns, AK-47s, semi-automatics, pistols.

These guys are dangerous.


People I’ve brought through with them were scared of them. 


There are bullets flying at them…
the guides tell them to get on their stomachs and keep crawling…  


What kind of people are they? These guys used to run the ‘Golden Triangle.’

They’re into drugs, human-trafficking, gambling.


Why do we cooperate with them? We want to rescue North Korean defectors.

They want to make money.

39:35
Finally, we get a call from Dragon.


Chiang Khom.

Okay we’re going now, we’ll look for them.

They arrived two hours upriver from the drop off point. I’m nervous and excited about seeing Yong-Hee and Sook-Ja again.

Is that the Mekong?

Yes, we’ve arrived.

How did you arrive? I tried calling…

The phone didn’t work.

Did the battery die?

It was okay but we couldn’t connect.

I really missed you.

We were waiting for you at Chiang Saen

And we kept calling Mr. Kang but couldn’t get through to you.

We arrived here this morning. We cried so much.

We went over 2 mountains at the Chinese border.

Then to the Laos border we took the motorcycle for 200 meters. Then we hid in the trees. And at the Laos border we had to go over 3 more mountains.


It’s so great to see you!

Nice to see you Auntie.

I’m going to punish Mr Kang (Dragon) when I get to South Korea.
Yes, he lied to us. He said it would take 30 minutes… 

If I knew it would be that much hiking
30 minutes, yeah right!

Without any food.
- It was so scary.


Hello. Mr. Kang, how come you lied to me? You said we only need to walk for 30 minutes. It was so difficult.

Mr. Kang, you should be punished for what you did!
I’ll see you in Korea, Mr. Kang.

We’re all here now, so we’re safe. Our hearts shrank inside us.
There is one thing that makes me heavy with sadness. Our parents… we left our parents back home… 


I want to throw my past away, I want to erase my name Chung-Ok, and start a new life.


I want to forget the memory of being born and growing up. I never want to think about it again.



42:43
Sook-Ja’s journey is far from over. Our group of defectors will be taken in Thai custody. But it will be weeks before their status will be reviewed.

Then the defectors can apply for refugee status to different countries. Most will choose South Korea.
This would be a dream come true… Or would it?

43:31
Someone like Sook-Ja knows nobody in South Korea. And there’s so much discrimination against North Koreans in South Korea these days that it’s hard for them to get jobs so I think she’s going to have a hard life there.  

For Sook-Ja to come to Canada, sure, there must be ways. But whether the Canadian Government will accept her, that is the question.
Even for me I still don’t know, whether the refugee board will grant me stauts or deny me.
I have to do what the Canadian government says.
Looking ahead to the hearing… I’m afraid you know… What if I’m denied status?

45:00
I’ve come to South Korea to meet the defectors who arrived here safely several months ago but I’m not sure how to get a hold of them.
Dragon’s trying to reach them as well, for his own reasons.



Some don't want to pay the fee.  They just have impure thoughts.
We have a saying...
‘The mind is different before you go to washroom and after you come out.’
When they feel the urgency they’re desperate for help. They’d do anything.
But they’ve come here now and they are in a comfortable position… so they forget about being grateful.
So they’re not keeping their promises?
Some are like that... and doing this kind of work, I sometimes feel hurt.

What kind of deal did Dragon make with Sook-Ja and Yong-Hee?
I want to reach the defectors before Dragon gets to them.

46:40
They’ve been in Hanawon for months. A facility where defectors are kept under investigation in case they are spies sent from North Korea. They are also taught how to live and work in South Korea.

I will show you this.

We do learn some crucial information.

Sook-Ja was released and given an apartment in a city five hours away. I manage to talk to her through Skype and ask her if Dragon has gotten in touch with her about the money.

I paid Dragon the amount I had to give, and paid back money I owed to others.
I don't have money left for clothes.
I tried to buy clothes but they are expensive.

Then Sook-Ja tells me she no longer wants to be on camera.

I was scared to open to you, but I did…
I’ve heard they banish families in North Korea.
They give out orders to the entire family, saying:
“Because your relative defected to South Korea… you have no right to live in this country.”
They send the people to the really poor countryside and confine them there.

Sook-Ja’s come all the way to South Korea, and she’s still afraid.

48:20
Even before you left China, you said your boss, or whoever, was going to pay the money.
You lied to me back then.
Don't live your life like this.
You either tell me your address, or wire the money over right away $2500.
Okay we'll chat on the phone later.
If I end up having to go to your place, I'll charge you for all the costs.
Don't live your life like this, you little brat.
Are you dreaming you stupid idiot?!
Stop bullshitting.
What’s wrong with you?

So some of the defectors still owe Dragon money. He will find them to collect payment.

I wonder what’s happened to Yong-Hee.  
The next day we finally get some good news. Yong-Hee was released from Hanawon.

She was asking about me so we gave her our number. She got in touch with us so we are going to go meet her now. I’m really excited!

49:44
You’ve gotten so skinny!
It's been so long! It’s really good to see you.
How have you been?
I’m fine.
It's so good to see you.
You've come a long way, thank you.
Let’s sit outside.
I’d prefer to sit inside, I don't want my face to be seen.
Did Dragon come to collect money from you?
I called him from Hanawon and asked him to lower the fee.
I didn't say I wouldn't pay.
It's not simply that I'm upset with Dragon… he's getting the amount he’s supposed to, so why is he like this?
In the end he threatened me. He said that he would hurt my family in North Korea.
It was such a heartache living in hiding in China.
I hoped things would get better, once I came to South Korea.
But I'm stressed and anxious here too.
I thought to myself, I have to get up, keep my chin up.

In the end, Dragon lets Yong-Hee and Sook-Ja go. He’s already onto his next group of defectors who want to escape out of China.

How old are you?
I'm 49 years old.
49...
I heard there are 2 people, who is the other one?
I think of myself as contributing to that greater effort.
I don't think of myself as some kind of ‘shady broker' who lives in darkness.

52:00
Yong-Hee and Sook-Ja try to build new identities as they start their lives in South Korea.

Why do people look at me? The way they look at me is suspicious.

52:42
Dragon has one last phone call to make.

Hello?
We did a search for that missing daughter. I put up ads in the Yanji area in China.
Did you find something?
We think she was caught by Chinese police and deported back to North Korea. I’m sorry to have to tell you such bad news.
Please send condolences to the mother.