Give Life and Hope to a North Korean Refugee

Thanks to our generous donors, the rescue work continues, although slowly due to continued increased arrests of North Koreans in China. We are happy to report, however, that a three-generation family of four women reached South Korea safely. Mi-ae is 41 years old and she contacted rescue workers to receive assistance for her 62-year old mother and her two young daughters: 10-year-old Kyung and 5-year-old Won.

When in China, Mi-ae explained her hardships to the rescue worker who contacted us to help the four women:

"In North Korea, my family suffered from extreme poverty. In order to survive, we were forced to separate. My father passed away and my two sisters left for China to look for a means of survival. When we did not hear from them again, my mother was inconsolable. I had a hope that maybe if I got married, I could escape poverty and help take care of my mother, as my sisters were not returning. But my marriage only led to abuse and domestic violence.

Finally, my mother and I and my older daughter went to search for my lost sisters in China where I was sold to human traffickers, who then sold me to a man near Shenyang. I did not know anyone and had no place to go. In fear of being reported to police and deported, I endured months of gruesome physical labor and did whatever the man ordered me to do. However, I was caught and repatriated back to North Korea where I was punished for leaving to China by serving in a labor detention center for six months. My mother and older daughter remained in China, and I was scared to send them a message that I was caught in fear that the police would deport them, too.

In 2013, I left again for China and was reunited with my mother and my older daughter. We made up our mind to go to South Korea, partly with the hope that maybe my two sisters had made it there and we could find them. This is how I met you (read: the rescue worker) and I cannot believe that we are finally going to leave China for South Korea. I could not believe hearing that there are good people who sent money to rescue our family. I can promise you, I will raise my daughters well."