Buried in the Heart: A North Korean’s Longing for the Family She Left Behind

"Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall." (Proverbs 28:18 ESV)

At Elim House, our women’s shelter, Janet (a pseudonym) clings to these words. She often tells us that whenever she tried to rush or let greed take the wheel, life became complicated. Now, she believes that even if it takes time, going slowly, acting with integrity, and waiting patiently is the best approach in life.

But this wisdom was earned through a lifetime of profound loss.

The Weight of HER PAST

During her years in China, she managed a company cafeteria—a role that could have easily translated into consistent work in South Korea. While working in a company cafeteria in China gave her significant experience, she refused to do restaurant work after coming to South Korea. She says that time was so lonely and difficult that no amount of money could convince her to return to that life.

Her transition to life in the South has been complex. Unlike many defectors, Janet didn't flee the North because of starvation or a hatred for the political system. Because of this, her struggles here often trigger regret. When she was in China, the door to home was technically still open; she could have returned. But crossing into South Korea shut that door forever. On her hardest days, that finality brings a deep and aching homesickness.

A History of Heartbreak 

In North Korea, tragedy struck early when her young son drowned. This shock caused her husband to wander and stray. The husband suffered immense guilt because he had beaten the son the day before the accident.

Years later, Janet was pregnant with their second child, this time, a baby girl. When her husband heard it was a girl, the reaction was visceral and cruel—he snatched the pillow from under Janet’s head, threw it across the room, and walked out. He then had an affair. He eventually returned home on the daughter's 100th day, the first major celebration in a newborn’s life. He held his daughter’s hand, and cried endlessly. 

Janet’s Dream 

In 2005 when their daughter was just five years old, Janet made the agonizing choice to cross into China to earn money for the family. She hasn't seen her child since. The only comfort she has is a scrap of news from a few years ago: her daughter is alive, living with her father, and working.

Janet describes herself as a woman who has "buried her children in her heart"—an idiom for a parent who outlives or is permanently separated from their children.

When we asked her about her hopes for the future, she didn't mention wealth, travel, or success. She simply said:

"If there is a next life, my only dream is to have many children, and to just live with them."

Janet’s story is a reminder that for many of the women we serve, the journey to freedom is paved with the heavy stones of separation. We ask for your continued support as we help Janet find the shalom of Jesus in this life, even as she dreams of the next.

Top Headlines From North Korea - December 2025

Russian TV Rebrands North Korea for Tourists

A fascinating new cultural shift is occurring in Russian media, where North Korea is being rebranded not as a hermit kingdom, but as a model of "sovereignty" and a desirable travel destination. This media campaign highlights the growing soft-power exchange between the two nations, impacting how ordinary citizens view each other.

• The Narrative: New documentaries and weekly shows like Russian Lessons are portraying Pyongyang as a modern, decisive state to justify the deepening alliance to the Russian public.

• Tourism Push: The coverage specifically promotes the Wonsan-Kalma beach resort, attempting to normalize North Korea as a vacation spot for Russians cut off from Western travel.

• Cultural Impact: This rebranding aims to erase the "backward" stereotype of North Korea in the Russian mindset, replacing it with images of clean monuments and "ideal" social order.

Source: 38 North

The home of a North Korean refugee in China

Scammers Exploit North Korean Families Searching for Repatriated Relatives

Families in the northern city of Hyesan are falling victim to cruel scams while trying to locate loved ones who were recently repatriated from China. Driven by the terrifying fear that their relatives have been sent to political prison camps, families are selling their homes and paying thousands of dollars to brokers who promise information but deliver nothing.

• The Scam: Fraudsters are charging between $6,900 and $13,800 USD (up to 100,000 yuan) to "confirm" if a relative is alive or to "secure their release," but often disappear with the money.

• The Human Cost: One family reportedly sold their home to raise funds for information about a repatriated relative, ending up homeless and still without answers.

• The Context: The scams exploit the total information blackout the state maintains regarding the fate of repatriated defectors, weaponizing families' love and fear against them.

Source: DailyNK

Source: UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner

UN Official 'Shocked' by Persistence of Prison Camps"

In a statement released this week, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed shock that political prison camps (kwanliso) still operate at such a scale in 2025. The update focuses on the human stories inside these "town-sized" detention centers, where entire families remain imprisoned.

• Guilt by Association: The report notes that while the "three-generation punishment" rule (imprisoning a defector's parents and children) may be weakening in practice, it is still a terrifying tool of control.

• Life Inside: Satellite imagery and defector testimony describe camps that resemble towns of up to 40,000 people, complete with schools and factories, but from which "you can never leave."

• International Plea: The Commissioner emphasized the aging population of victims, including Japanese abductees and South Korean POWs, urging immediate action before the last witnesses pass away.

Source: Japan Forward 

North Korean refugee women in a Bible study with a group in China

Defector Women in China Losing Life Savings to 'Trusted' Locals"

A growing number of North Korean women hiding in China are losing their hard-earned savings to local acquaintances. Because they lack legal status and cannot open bank accounts, they are forced to entrust their cash to Chinese partners or friends, leaving them with no legal recourse when that money is stolen or withheld.

• The Trap: Women often save money for years to send back to their parents in North Korea or to fund an escape to South Korea, only to have "trusted" guardians deny holding the funds.

• Specific Incidents: Reports from Jilin and Liaoning provinces detail women losing sums ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 yuan ($1,380–$3,450 USD) with no way to report the theft to the police without risking deportation.

• Legal Limbo: The stories highlight the extreme fragility of life for undocumented North Koreans, whose "illegal" status makes them perfect targets for financial exploitation.

Source: DailyNK

Moving Freely in Rason, North Korea’s Hub of Trade and Business

Despite North Korea maintaining its most restrictive border controls in decades, a steady flow of online content is complicating assumptions about its total isolation. Recent videos on China’s Douyin (TikTok) platform show Chinese merchants casually entering North Korea’s Rason Special Economic Zone, checking into hotels, browsing markets and trading in scenes that appear at odds with the image of a sealed-off DPRK. These appearances coincide with reports that a limited number of Chinese businessmen have been granted entry to the zone through invitations from local North Korean firms. Interestingly, they surfaced after a short-lived reopening of Rason to foreign tourists in early 2025, which was halted a few weeks later, with media outlets speculating that the sudden closure was a reaction to tourists’ candid online posts that Pyongyang could not fully control. As a result, Rason has re-emerged as an unexpected window into life inside the secretive country, revealing livelihoods far more ordinary than the famine and isolation narratives that dominate western coverage.

DOUYIN’S RASON: WHY ARE WE SO FREE IN NORTH KOREA?

Footages circulating on Douyin this year depict a version of North Korean that contrasts sharply with much western reporting. These clips show Chinese merchants entering Rason with relative ease and moving through public spaces in ways that suggest a functioning local economy rather than a shuttered border city. Given the videos are informal and seemingly unscripted, with handled shots, casual commentary and spontaneous interactions, they create a powerful counter-narrative to the hermit kingdom’s dominant portrayal as destitute.

Meanwhile, reactions from Chinese viewers reveal a starkly different interpretation of North Korea from the one familiar in the west. Some commenters compared Rason to Shenzhen or Shanghai, celebrating what they perceive as an emerging commercial hub on China’s doorstep. In a number of footages, restaurant menus can be seen displaying both Korean and Chinese, which offers a small but telling detail of the cross-border commercial integration already under way.

In a video titled “Why are we so free in North Korea,” a Chinese businessman, Mr. Wang, who manufactures false eyelashes in Rason speaks directly into the camera, praising the city for its “good air quality and nice scenery,” and insisting that “if you are here for business then there are little restrictions.” He adds that “if you have some contributions to North Korea, then you will feel very free here, you can go anywhere, eat anywhere, drink anywhere, live in any hotel. There is no one monitoring or following me. It is so convenient – there is not much difference between here and China. It feels even safer in North Korea than in China as North Koreans are especially friendly to Chinese people”. Urging viewers “not to listen to nonsense [about North Korea lacking freedom] on the internet,” he claims anyone visiting will “feel the simplistic atmosphere in North Korea.” 

Wang also encourages others to consider trading with North Korea, citing far lower labor costs, strong craftsmanship and a ready supply of workers, “easily get a few ten thousand skillful workers around 30 years old,” he says. This gives a vivid example of the kind of small-scale manufacturing investment driving part of the Chinese presence in Rason. Another Chinese businessman in the hair-products industry has likewise posted videos documenting his regular trade trips into Rason since February 2025, noting that his goods move in and out of North Korean on a weekly basis and that urgent orders can be dispatched at any time without delay (read more about Chinese wigs and false lashes made in North Korea).

AN OUTSIDER’S LENS: WHAT WESTERN VISITORS SEE

As one of the first westerners to enter North Korea since the pandemic, British travel vlogger, Mike O’Kennedy, documented his guided trip to Rason earlier this year. O’Kennedy captured both genuine snapshots of daily life and the unmistakable mechanisms of state supervision. In subsequent interviews, the YouTuber recounted moments of surprisingly normalcy, from sharing North Korean beer with guides and singing karaoke to browsing local markets and engaging in casual conversations that felt far removed from the country’s intimidating reputation. At times, the comforts even resembled any provisional city stay in the west. Yet his footage also documented the rigid controls underlying the experience. A children’s performance he attended, which was complete with futuristic costuming and rocket-theme backdrops, underscored the omnipresence of political messaging. While O’Kennedy noted that he never felt directly endangered, he described a persistent sense of “paranoia and anxiety.”

Ultimately, it should be remembered that Rason functions as a place where foreign visitors can observe fragments of ordinary life but never beyond state-approved boundaries. It operates as a controlled interface with a mix of economic hub and exposure-management zone designed to show just enough of North Korea to serve the regime’s interests. Rason's portrayed vitality is not a sign of national liberation, but a calculated, temporary opening that masks the enduring nature of an oppressive, surveillance-heavy state.

A Heart Restored: Lydia’s Journey of Hope in China #GivingTuesday

When Lydia crossed into China in 2005, she did so believing it was for a temporary one-month job to make ends meet. But she was deceived. Traffickers sold her to a Chinese man, and that promised “job” stretched into nine long years of hiding, fear, and loneliness.  

During that time, Lydia gave birth to a baby girl — the first light in a season of deep despair. But her heart ached for the son she had left behind in North Korea, a boy who thought she would return to in 30 days. Instead, years went by, and she wondered what had become of him, and the life he was living without his mother.

When Crossing Borders first connected with Lydia, she lamented, “My days were filled with sighs. I would wake up each morning thinking, ‘How will I live through today?’” *

“My days were filled with sighs. I would wake up each morning thinking,

‘How will I live through today?’”

How God Hedged Lydia In:

1. A Safe Network
   Our field workers in China provided Lydia with a lifeline — people she could trust, people who understood the risk she was taking just by existing in China. Through this network, she was able to face her isolation in a community.

2. Spiritual Care
   Over time, Lydia began to hear the good news of Jesus. She encountered believers who lovingly shared the gospel message with her, offering a message of forgiveness and hope— she began to see herself not just as a refugee, but as a child of God.

3. Emotional Healing
   Through Crossing Borders’ help, Lydia was able to find a place where she could process her trauma in a compassionate community, through her newfound relationship with Jesus. 

A Turn Toward New Life

Lydia’s transformation wasn’t immediate. And over the years, she told our staff that she no longer lives just for money or escape. With a new hope, she set her gaze upon something greater. She carries within her a new song of dependence on God rather than a constant fear of what might come tomorrow.

Though she may never be reunited with her son, she holds onto the promise that God sees her, knows her, and loves her. Her story is a testament to what Crossing Borders is about: not just helping refugees survive, but helping bring restoration — emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

Why This Matters for #GivingTuesday 2025

• Your partnership leads to real, lasting change. It isn’t just a one-time fix — your investment helps create safe networks, spiritual care, and long-term relationships.

• Refugees like Lydia need hope. Many remain hidden in China, living day to day, afraid and alone. Through our work, they can hear the gospel and experience the love of Christ in very tangible ways.

• Transformation takes time — and care. Every courageous step (crossing a border, opening up to someone, trusting God again) is built over time and in community. That’s why Crossing Borders’ presence on the ground matters.

Stories like Lydia’s give us great hope. The same Jesus who heals our refugees’ broken hearts and binds up their wounds is the one who bore judgment and separation from God so they never have to. When our refugees are confronted by the immovable love of Christ—when Jesus tells them that they are seen, known, and treasured—their hearts begin to move from brokenness to wholeness, peace and praise, the bookends of Psalm 147. 

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3 ESV

This Thanksgiving season, we are so grateful for your investment in this ministry. Thank you for your prayers.

Psalm 147 is our focus for Giving Tuesday this year. Our goal is to raise $30,000 in by Wednesday, December 3rd, to ensure our care and the healing work of Jesus will continue to reach many more North Korean refugees like Lydia. 

*As security risks continue to rise at an alarming rate in China, we are intentional in sharing fewer details about current situations for the protection of every refugee we work with in China. Lydia’s story is from our archives and reflects the work we continue to do.

Binding Up the Wounds of the Brokenhearted this #GivingTuesday

Psalm 147 reminds us that the God who numbers the stars also binds up the wounds of the brokenhearted. This is the hope we carry into every encounter with North Korean refugees in South Korea. When we meet them, they are carrying trauma, fear, and years of isolation, but we have seen again and again that Jesus meets them in their brokenness.

This year, we witnessed God’s healing work in remarkable ways.

When Linda arrived at our women’s shelter, she was physically weak and suffering from severe uterine bleeding. She had no one to advocate for her. Our Elim House staff walked with her—accompanying her to the hospital, helping her find safe housing, and surrounding her with prayer. Later she told us, “I finally felt like someone cared for me.” Jesus—who Himself knew pain, sorrow, and grief—met her through the love she received.

Bonnie’s story shows that no heart is too hardened for redemption. She once participated in the trafficking of other North Korean women, a life that left her bitter and with broken relationships. But during her stay at Elim House, a single Bible verse pierced her heart. She began to seek Jesus, asking questions, softening, and confronting her past.

Some wounds are invisible. Andrea entered our shelter emotionally shut down after years of betrayal and the onset of early dementia. Like Jesus—who was rejected and abandoned—she carried deep loneliness. Though she remains generally suspicious of everyone, she allowed our social workers to help her find permanent housing and financial support from the government. We continue to make ourselves available to her anytime she wants to reach out to us.

Even seemingly small steps can be life-changing. One woman who attended an Elim Community class told us she had gone nowhere but home and work for five years. Our free class was the first time she stepped out of her usual routine. Through our classes, she heard the gentle truth that she did not have to walk alone.

And the fruit of transformation continues to grow.

We see it in Jamie, who told us that only God could give her the courage to see and confess her own faults.

We see it in Ellie, who now returns to the same shelter she once lived in—this time to encourage other North Korean women.

We see it in Hadessa, who arrived paralyzed by social anxiety. Today she goes out in public without a mask and even updated her messaging app with a photo of herself for the first time.

These stories give us great hope. The same Jesus who heals our refugees’ broken hearts and binds up their wounds is the one who bore judgment and separation from God so they never have to. When our refugees are confronted by the steadfast love of Christ—when they look to the cross and see that they are seen, known, and treasured—their hearts begin to move from brokenness to wholeness, peace and praise, the bookends of Psalm 147.

Psalm 147:3 "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

The word of God is living and active, and through your prayers and support, it is changing lives among North Korean refugees in South Korea. This Thanksgiving season, we are so grateful for your investment in this ministry. Thank you for your prayers.

Psalm 147 is our focus for Giving Tuesday this year. Our goal is to raise $30,000 by December 3rd to ensure our care and the healing work of Jesus will continue to reach many more North Korean refugees.

Top Headlines From North Korea - October 2025

North Koreans Embrace Fall “Moving Season” for Practical Reasons

A recent report highlights a growing trend of North Koreans moving homes during the autumn, mirroring a pattern common in South Korea. This "moving season" is not driven by state orders but by the personal, practical desires of ordinary families seeking a better quality of life.

• A survey of residents in 13 cities found the primary motivations are practical: to be closer to reliable water and electricity sources, or nearer to marketplaces and schools.

• The trend reveals that citizens are actively making decisions to improve their living situations, often paying a premium for a smaller home if it has better utilities.

• Some moves are also driven by a need to escape state surveillance or displacement from state development projects, for which residents reportedly receive no new housing.

Source: Daily NK, Maeil Business

A North Korean Family's New Life, 10 Years After Their Escape

A decade after the BBC documented their harrowing 3,000-kilometer journey to freedom, the Park family shares their story of adjustment and life in South Korea. The follow-up provides a rare look at the long-term challenges and triumphs of rebuilding a life from scratch.

• The family reflects on the memories of their escape and the intense fear of being caught and repatriated, a fate they knew would mean certain death.

• They discuss the profound cultural and psychological adjustments to life in a free, modern society, from learning a new way of speaking to dealing with the trauma of their past.

• The story contrasts their current freedom with the increased crackdowns and "shoot-to-kill" border policies that have made such escapes nearly impossible today.

Source: BBC News (YouTube)

Sisters of Japanese Woman Abducted by North Korea to Meet US President

The sisters of Keiko Arimoto, a Japanese student abducted by North Korean agents in 1983, are meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump during his visit to Japan. Their story highlights a decades-long search for answers and a family's refusal to give up hope.

• Keiko Arimoto was 23 and studying in London when she was lured to Denmark and abducted to North Korea; her family has not seen her in over 40 years.

• Her sisters, now in their 60s, are continuing their elderly parents' fight, seeking international pressure to get an accounting for Keiko and other abductees.

• The meeting transforms a high-level political visit into a deeply personal plea, focusing on the human cost of the regime's past actions.

Source: JAPAN Forward

Why North Korea fears the “Squid Game effect”

• Three defectors, recently interviewed, confirmed that smuggled South Korean shows, like Autumn In My Heart and Squid Game, opened their eyes to the lies of the regime and the prosperity of the outside world, directly inspiring their escapes.

• The regime has responded with extreme measures, including the 2020 "Law on Rejecting Reactionary Thought and Culture," which makes viewing or distributing foreign media punishable by death or life imprisonment.

Source: Index on Censorship, Squid Game for North Koreans

Being Family to North Korean Refugees for the Holidays

Alone in South Korea

Chuseok is the most important holiday for North and South Koreans alike. This holiday, much like Thanksgiving in the US, is meant for celebrating the bounty of harvest, gathering with loved ones, and honoring ancestors. For the women we serve, it’s often a day of profound loneliness.

This is why Crossing Borders hosts a Chuseok retreat each year as part of our ongoing care for the refugees who we helped in the past. An invitation goes out to those who we have cared for at Elim House and in China that remain in contact with our team. For each of the women in attendance, it was a chance for Crossing Borders to continue to minister and care for them in a country that is fraught with pitfalls and hardship.

The Vulnerability of North Koreans in South Korea

Most North Koreans arrive in South Korea from China. Most refugees were trafficked in China. Though most of these marriages are oppressive in nature, the one thing that their captivity in China did for them was insulate them from the many other dangers that societies often have. For example, because many refugees in China were not allowed out of their houses, they were not exposed to people who might want to scam or defraud them. Similarly, the North Korean government's oppressive information blackout, while a tool of control, also insulates its people from modern perils like pornography, misinformation, and the addictive nature of digital media.

When refugees get to South Korea, they are exposed to a great many influences in their lives. The allure of a materialistic society often makes them hungry to attain resources by any means necessary. The yearning for companionship often leads them to relationships with men who abuse and use them. The longing for a relationship with God often exposes refugees to cults.

Four of the women at this retreat confided in our social worker that they were paid by a Christian cult to attend their services. Jenny, a North Korean woman who stayed in Elim House for over a year, who often refers to her time with us as transformational, also fell victim to the allure for money. At this retreat, Jenny lifted her hands and enthusiastically worshipped the Lord. She was engaged in the sermons and activities. It was only after the retreat that Jenny confessed to our social worker that she had fallen prey to this cult. In tears, Jenny later decided to “return to her first love.”

Conflict and the Seed of Forgiveness

Another woman, Bethany, who was asked to leave Elim House this summer after a fight with another resident, was invited back to our retreat. Bethany’s past trauma has left her quick to trust but even quicker to feel attacked. We saw this again at our retreat when a simple comment from her bunkmate sent her into a spiral, immediately demanding to be moved.

Sadly, this is the lens through which she sees the world. So when Pastor Tom, our guest speaker for this retreat, preached on the difficult call to forgive, Bethany's reaction wasn't joy, but a visible slump in her chair. The message had clearly struck a nerve, brushing up against a lifetime of hurt and lashing out.

But that seed of forgiveness, however painfully received, began to grow. Bethany got into a conflict with a new neighbor. Her old response would have been to lash out and retreat. And she did lash out, telling the woman, "Your mother didn’t raise you right." But then, something new happened. She was struck by the fact that this woman was the same age as her own estranged daughter in China. This painful self-awareness—realizing she, too, was a mother unable to "raise" her child—convicted her. In a profound step of healing, Bethany went back to the neighbor and apologized. Bethany told us she wants to believe in God but is finding it hard. Her courageous apology shows us that, even in her struggle, God is already at work, changing her heart from the inside out.

As we continue our work in South Korea, we realize that there will be very few miraculous and sudden conversion stories at events like our retreat. We have learned that our role is to be a steady hand in the lives of the women who we encounter. Though many have lashed out at our staff, we’re thankful for their humble and sacrificial care for refugees.

Jackie's First True Love

Jackie, an Elim House resident, recently shared with our staff the story of her first love, a man she dated for two years in North Korea. They were coworkers, but there was a significant difference in their social standing as he came from a family of Zainichi Koreans (former long-term residents of Japan who returned to North Korea).

For two years, their relationship blossomed. He would visit Jackie's home and established good rapport with her family. However, one day, his mother came to see Jackie's mother and stated that marriage was out of the question because their family's financial situation and social status were not a match.

Seeing her own mother cry with frustration, Jackie felt her pride deeply wounded by the humiliation his mother had inflicted. In the wake of this, she broke up with him and refused to see him again. The heartbreak took a severe toll on her; she was unable to go to work for three months, suffering from what she described as lovesickness. The emotional pain was so intense that she said it caused her to lose two of her permanent molars.

There's a Korean saying that if the first person from a broken-up couple gets married first, that person will live well. In an effort to forget him, Jackie went on a blind date and was married within 20 days.

After her marriage and the birth of her child, the "Arduous March" (the North Korean famine) began, and she started a business to survive. One day, at the “jangmadang” market grounds, she unexpectedly ran into her first love. She was so ashamed of her circumstances that she couldn't even lift her head.

He had also recently married. Knowing that Jackie was doing business in the market, he started visiting twice a week to buy things from her. When the North Korean authorities came to crack down on the marketplace vendors, he would help her quickly pack up her things and flee. In a time of national hardship, he even gathered money to give to her.

Until that point, he had never known the real reason for their breakup. It was only then that Jackie confessed she had decided to end things because of his mother’s decisive words.

One day, overwhelmed by the harsh treatment from her mother-in-law and the neglect of her husband, Jackie ran out of her house with her child on her back. Without realizing it, she found herself walking toward the neighborhood where her first love lived.

To this day, whenever she is going through a difficult time, she misses him. She says that if they could meet again now, and if they were both free of their respective burdens, she would want to live with him.

Jackie’s life has been marked by profound loss—not only of her first love, but also of her children. She carries the sorrow of a son who drowned tragically and the ever-present ache of missing the daughter she had to leave behind in North Korea.

Hearing a story like Jackie’s reminds us of a fundamental truth: that beneath the headlines of Kim Jong-un’s wild antics are individuals who hope, love, and hurt just as we do. The brutality of a famine and the confines of an oppressive state could not erase the universal experiences of a first love's heartbreak or a mother's grief. Jackie’s story is not just one of survival; it is a powerful testament to the enduring human heart, which continues to love and long for connection against all odds.

Jackie has shed many tears during Sunday services at Elim House, through which we pray God is doing the work of surfacing and healing her layered grief and sadness.

Top Headlines From North Korea - September 2025

South Korea Debates New Term for North Korean Refugees

Recent discussions within South Korea's Unification Ministry are focusing on changing the official term for North Koreans who have fled their country. The move is a response to the refugees themselves, many of whom feel the current word, "defector," carries negative connotations and hinders their ability to fully integrate into a new society.

• The current term, "talbukmin," literally translates to "people who escaped from the North," which many find stigmatizing.

• Advocates for the change argue that a more neutral term would promote social integration and better reflect the diverse reasons people leave North Korea, from political oppression to economic hardship.

• This linguistic shift highlights the ongoing challenges North Koreans face in adapting to life in the South, even after their perilous journeys.

Source:

• The Independent

• NK News

North Korean Youth Challenge State Control Through Fashion and Slang

Contestants sing at the 2023 Unification Music Competition at Gwanghwamun Square.

A report from Daily NK highlights the subtle but significant ways young North Koreans are resisting strict authoritarian controls. Through underground fashion choices, modern hairstyles, and the secret use of South Korean slang, the nation's youth are carving out personal identities in defiance of the state's monolithic culture.

• Young North Korean people are reportedly adopting styles like above-the-knee dresses and using hair straightening treatments, moving away from state-mandated appearances.

• Despite crackdowns, South Korean slang terms like "oppa" (older brother/friend) and "daebak" (awesome) are becoming common in private conversations, spread through illicit media.

• This cultural resistance, fueled by a desire for self-expression, reveals a growing disconnect between the regime's ideology and the personal aspirations of its younger generation.

Source:

• Daily NK

A "Lost Decade": UN Report Details Worsening Hardships of Daily Life

A new United Nations report released in mid-September paints a grim picture of the last ten years inside North Korea, describing it as a "lost decade" for human rights. The report details the severe impact of prolonged border closures and repressive policies on the everyday lives of ordinary citizens, leading to increased hunger and suffering.

• The report, based on hundreds of interviews, highlights how state policies restricting markets and movement have severely damaged the right to food.

• Pervasive surveillance, forced labor, and harsh punishments for consuming foreign media have intensified, defining the daily existence for millions.

• Despite official claims, the report underscores a collapse in access to essential medicine and the inability of people to bribe their way out of arbitrary punishments as the economy has worsened.

Source:

• Human Rights Watch: "North Korea: 'Lost Decade' of Rights Abuses"

Intentional Giving: A Look at Donor Advised Funds

A Closer Look at Donor Advised Funds

Supporting the people of North Korea is a long-term commitment. It requires patience, prayer, and thoughtful stewardship of the resources we’ve been given. Many of you who partner with us in this work often ask about different ways to support the mission, looking for methods that align with your own goals for intentional giving.

One such tool that some of our supporters have found helpful is a Donor Advised Fund (DAF). It’s not for everyone, but we wanted to share some information about it as a resource for your own consideration.

What is a Donor Advised Fund?

The simplest way to think of a DAF is as a dedicated account for your charitable giving. Think of a DAF as a charitable savings account. It’s a dedicated account where you can deposit a variety of assets—cash, stocks, even real estate—for the sole purpose of supporting the causes you care about. You can contribute to the fund when the time is right for you and then, from that fund, you can recommend grants to non-profits you wish to support, such as Crossing Borders. You receive an immediate tax deduction when you contribute to the fund and the organization that holds the fund (often financial institutions like Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, or Vanguard Charitable) handles the administration. 

For many, this approach helps separate the decision of when to give from where to give, allowing for a more deliberate and prayerful approach to philanthropy throughout the year.

Considering the Timing of Your Gift

We are sometimes asked about the timeline for setting up these funds. While a DAF can be opened at any point, many people who use them choose to do so toward the end of the calendar year to align with their financial planning.

If you are considering setting one up for 2025, there is certainly still time. Opening an account with cash is often a quick process. However, if you're planning to contribute non-cash assets like securities, it’s a good idea to begin the process well before the end-of-year rush, perhaps by November or early December, to ensure everything is settled.

A Connection to Our Work

The work of bringing hope and gospel truth to North Korean refugees is a marathon, not a sprint. In the same way, a Donor Advised Fund can be a tool for steady, consistent, and planned support that reflects a long-term commitment. It is one of many ways to engage in the thoughtful stewardship that this mission requires.

Every gift, regardless of the method, is a vital part of this work. It fuels our efforts to provide aid and share the Gospel with those living in one of the world's most isolated nations.

If you are interested in learning more about the technical aspects of Donor Advised Funds, we have more detailed information available on our DAF information page. We are grateful for your partnership!

Xi's Parade - Putin, Kim, and Kim's Daughter

North Korean Princess’ First Trip to China

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, has reappeared on the world stage — this time in Beijing, attending China’s largest-ever military parade. The trip was his first to China since 2019, but what truly caught the world’s eye was his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, walking beside him. Her presence marks the first time the teenage heir-apparent has joined her father on an international visit, offering what many see as a preview of North Korea’s future leadership. The pair arrived aboard Kim’s signature armored train, greeted by senior Chinese officials. Ju-ae, believed to be around 12 or 13 years old, was placed prominently at her father’s side during official events, even standing ahead of senior North Korean figures like Foreign Minister, Choe Son-hui.

Outside China, the optics were splashed across headlines and dissected by analysts. Ju-ae’s inclusion appears to be a carefully choreographed signal that the Kim dynasty’s succession plan is already in motion. But inside China, state media chose a very different tone: the coverage was perfunctory, mentioning Kim only briefly and noting his daughter almost as an afterthought.

WHY CHINA PLAYED IT LOW-KEY

While global headlines buzzed with images of the young “front runner” to succession, Chinese media barely registered Ju-ae’s presence. Though there were reports about Kim arriving in China for the parade, there were very few that noted Ju-ae had accompanied him. The restraint appears calculated, prompting speculations that Beijing wanted the spotlight firmly on President Xi Jin-ping and China’s own military prowess, with drones, hypersonic missiles and robotic weapons rolling through Tiananmen Square in a spectacle designed to project strength and leadership. Overemphasizing Kim’s rare appearance, and particularly his daughter’s first international outing, could risk diluting that message. 

Meanwhile, Ju-ae is a living emblem of hereditary succession, a theme that resonates uncomfortably in China, where netizens already joke about “second-generation reds,” the children of the Chinese Communist Party’s elites who often occupy leadership roles today, like Xi-Jinping himself, the son of a veteran revolutionary and former State Council Secretary General. Broadcasting Ju-ae too prominently could invite comparisons Beijing would rather avoid, thus the limited coverage ensured North Korea remained framed as a distant, junior partner – defined more by its differences than its likeness – rather than a co-star.

SWIFT ERASURE OF KIM’S FOOTPRINTS

If Beijing’s muted coverage suggested careful stage-management, North Korea’s own actions revealed just how far Pyongyang goes to control the narrative and protect its dear leader. After Kim’s talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin during the same visit in Beijing, aides moved swiftly to erase all physical traces of his presence. According to Reuters, North Korean staff wiped down his chair, cleared away the coffee table and removed his drinking glass — part of an extreme security protocol designed to deny foreign intelligence agencies even the smallest sample of his royal DNA. As with his previous trips abroad, Kim’s green train also carried its own private toilet to ensure no waste could be collected en route. Analyst Michael Madden of the Stimson Center noted that for Pyongyang, such measures are essential because any medical data could expose vulnerabilities. 

Moreover, these practices are long-standing: during Kim’s 2019 summit with Donald Trump in Hanoi, his team stripped mattresses and secured hotel floors; when meeting South Korea’s Moon Jae-in in 2018, they sanitized furniture before he sat; and before his 2023 summit with Putin, aides disinfected chairs and even scanned them with metal detectors. Together, these habits underscore both the paranoia and precision with which North Korea projects its leadership, ensuring that Kim is seen exactly as intended, and never more.

In the end, Kim’s decision to bring Ju-ae to Beijing was likely not just a family gesture but a calculated act of statecraft. China, for its part, embraced Kim’s presence just enough to highlight its alliances, while simultaneously restricting any coverage that might distract from its own carefully curated narrative of strength. The result was an episode that captured both the fragility and the endurance of authoritarian rule: power projected outward with military parades and dynastic heirs, but guarded inward with silence, censorship and the obsessive erasure of traces.

Esther - To A Hungry Soul Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet

A woman we call “Esther” arrived at Elim House just a few weeks ago. Esther is 59 years old. She defected from North Korea 20 years ago, spent about 15 days in China, and then, with the help of a Christian organization, arrived in South Korea in 2004.

After coming to South Korea, she earned a license to be a skin care instructor and worked as a lecturer at an academy. She attended university in North Korea and has never been married. She said that her studies in traditional Korean medicine in North Korea helped her excel at her skin care job, which earned her a lot of money.

Just as she was earning good money and planning to travel and enjoy life, she was in a serious car accident. She was in a coma for six months. While in the hospital, she had a dream where she saw her deceased family members from North Korea peacefully tending to flowers. They called out to her to join them, but someone grabbed her foot, preventing her from going. Esther believes she was saved because it was not her time to die.

loneliness in south korea

Recently, during their time of morning devotions, the women at Elim House read through Proverbs 27 and Esther shared how Proverbs 27:7 spoke to her as she let us into a part of her past.

“A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”

— Proverbs 27:7 (ESV)

“After leaving Hanawon, I received housing in Seoul but went three days without eating. I didn't know how to cook rice in a rice cooker, so I looked for a fireplace and a place to make a fire but couldn't find one, so I couldn't cook rice. For three days, I only drank tap water. On the first day, the tap water smelled of disinfectant, but as I continued to starve, by the third day, I didn't even notice the disinfectant smell and just drank the water.

I also received a cell phone but didn't know anyone, so I found the number of the personal protection (police) officer assigned to me and asked for help. The personal protection officer was surprised to hear about my situation, bought various side dishes from the market, prepared them, and even brought extra packages of rice cakes to distribute to my neighbors.

Even though I knocked on neighbors' doors to say hello and share rice cake with them, I was surprised by their cold and unwelcoming responses. In North Korea, when someone moves into a new home, people come first to share things, ask where they are from, and warmly welcome them, but in my experience, South Koreans were the opposite, and keep to themselves.”

Mental Health Care

Shortly after arriving at Elim House, Esther was seen by a psychiatrist who concluded that she has post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and paranoid delusions, leading to high stress levels and emotional instability. Shortly after she arrived in Elim House, she shared with our social worker Cindy some of her delusions. Cindy then began to encourage her to take her medications.

Esther, who had seen a psychiatrist but never took the medication she was prescribed, agreed to take the prescription this time after acknowledging her current condition.

We are thankful to have Esther join us for however long the Lord would have her stay. It is encouraging to see God working to heal and soften her heart. During Sunday service at Elim House, through tears, she confessed that she cannot live without God and expressed her realization of having lived apart from God for so long.

North Korean Art Imitating Life: A New Spring in the Paekhak Plain

A new hit drama was released in North Korea earlier this year. Unlike the typical propaganda that paints life in North Korea as a utopian paradise, this new (N)K-drama tells a different tale. The series depicts the tensions that exist between the people and corrupt officials, strife within families, and even goes so far as to portray a North Korean regime with many flaws. 

“The show captivated its audience because, above all else, it was true to life,” according to an article in a North Korean monthly magazine. But if the story struck a chord because it was “true to life,” then were the other shows that North Korea produced not true to life? Some analysts say that this series, named “A New Spring in the Paekhak Plain,” is the regime’s bending to the new tastes of its people, as more of them are being exposed to foreign media. This is true, but what this series reveals is the power of truth. The light of truth often shines brighter in a world full of lies. 

We have sampled all manner of North Korean propaganda from children’s cartoons to movies. In any of these forms, we have never seen a North Korean official painted in a negative light. In our podcast series, “The Demystified Zone,” we spoke in detail about the propagandized cartoons the regime has put out for younger audiences. In the cartoon, the regime is heavy handed in its references to North Korea’s view of its own place in global politics. The cartoon’s protagonists, the squirrels and hedgehogs, live in a utopian society called Flower Hill where its citizens are peaceloving and hard working. Outside forces such as the weasels and wolves constantly plot to destroy the good hearted people of Flower Hill. The show even goes so far as to depict the bear that swore to protect Flower Hill, but was too drunk to fulfill his vows, a direct reference to the USSR’s collapse. 

The regime has been relentless to maintain its image within North Korea as pristine as it possibly can. Like in “Squirrel and Hedgehog,” any hardship in the lives of North Koreans is a product of external forces that seek to destroy the North Korean people. Often, the moral of North Korean propaganda is that the people must rise up and fight against such overwhelming external forces. To our knowledge, there has never been a direct reference to the famine or any of the subsequent food shortages that have taken place in North Korea’s recent history. 

While the regime is quick to paint its place in global politics, it has been reticent to show the realities of life inside North Korea. Propaganda often portrays life in North Korea with tables full of choice foods, and harmonious relationships between citizens and government officials. This is why North Korea’s new drama is so different. 

Another possible motivator behind North Korea’s new drama is that, since the famine of the late ‘90s, illegal foreign media consumption has become commonplace. North Koreans regularly consume media that has been smuggled in from China on USB drives. Apparently, much like the rest of the world, North Koreans cannot get enough of Korean dramas and movies. Survey data from North Korean defectors in South Korea show the dramatic rise in foreign media consumption in North Korea. 

Last year, the organization NK News reported, “more than 83% of escapees who left the DPRK between 2016 and 2020 said they consumed foreign media, such as music and TV shows, up from 67.6% of respondents who left between 2006 and 2010.”

This could explain the reasons why North Korea felt compelled to detail the realities of the country. Perhaps the regime wanted to hold the attention of its own people. But we think the show’s resonance points to something more fundamental about the human heart. It shows that the North Korean people are starving for truth. We know about the Great North Korean Famine, which took place between 1995 and 1998. But a more subtle famine has taken place in North Korea for decades: a famine for truth. 

“During the famine, the regime maintained that North Korea was paradise on earth. ”

Through troubled times, North Korea kept telling its people that everything was ok. During the famine, the regime maintained that North Korea was paradise on earth. North Korea’s new drama does not tell the entire truth. It does not reproduce the abject misery of many people’s lives, but rather it grazes truth. Even this must feel refreshing to the people. 

Furthermore, North Korea has spent the last seven decades eradicating the Gospel from inside its borders. If the Bible is true, and if Jesus is truly the son of God as I believe, then there is an even greater famine in North Korea, a famine for the word of God, the truth that our hearts ultimately long for.

Top Headlines From North Korea - August 2025

North Korean defector swims for 10 hours to freedom

Maritime border between North and South Korea

1. A North Korean defector swam across the Northern Limit Line (maritime border) tied to styrofoam and requested asylum upon rescue. 

2. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported the rescue took about 10 hours, ending around 4 a.m. local time. 

3. The swim occurred near Ganghwa Island, a frequent but perilous defection route. 

4. This was the second recorded defection under the Lee Jae-Myung administration

Sources: SCMP, JoongAng Daily

95 year old North Korean POW’s dying wish is to return home

Photo: Committee for the Repatriation of Ahn Hak-sop

• Ahn Hak-sop, imprisoned in South Korea for over 40 years after being captured in the Korean War, announced plans to walk across the militarized border to return home. 

• At a press briefing, he emphasised that he refuses to be buried in what he termed a “colonial state,” indicating deep ideological conviction. 

• His planned return underscores rare and powerful cases of emotional and ideological bonds to the North persisting even after decades in the South.

Source: NK News, CNN

North Korea Disclosed Names and Faces of Soldiers who died Fighting for Russia

• Kim was photographed emotionally pinning medals on soldiers' portraits and comforting their families.

• In a speech, he expressed "heartache and regret" for being unable to protect the soldiers.

• He pledged to build a memorial museum and monument in Pyongyang to commemorate their sacrifice.

Sources: The Korea Herald, CNN

IKEA and Starbucks knockoff stores seen in North Korea

• According to the account of tourists, Western-style shops, imitating brands like IKEA and Starbucks, are emerging for Pyongyang's upper class.

• Modern technology is common in the capital, with residents using mobile apps and QR codes for daily transactions.

• Despite sanctions, imitation products are prevalent, prompting brands to address intellectual property infringement.

Silence - A Potential Turning Point Between North and South Korea

A view of North Korea from Ganghwa Peace Observatory in South Korea

When our team visited South Korea this June, we stood near the Demilitarized Zone (“DMZ”) and heard firsthand the unsettling, and strange noises that North Korea projected across the border. The haunting sounds that pierced the air, which had been replaying for several months, left an indelible impression on us. Local residents also described the broadcasts with unnerving clarity: as Ahn Hyo-chul put it, “sometimes sounding like a siren, sometimes like a ghost, sometimes like animal cries. Our grandchildren say it sounds like wolves from North Korea,” while another resident, Kim Wan-shik, likened them to “car brakes tearing noises and metal grinding,” calling the sound “extremely irritating,” especially at night, which has left many residents exhausted.

For decades, the DMZ has been more than a physical boundary — it has served as a psychological battlefield. Through high-powered loudspeakers positioned along the border, both Koreas waged a long-standing campaign of sound, filled with propaganda, music and political messages. Earlier this month, South Korea quietly dismantled approximately 20 of its front-line loudspeaker systems along the 250km border, and North Korea reportedly followed suit without a formal agreement or coordinated announcement. This unexpected silence has drawn international attention and raised questions about its meaning for inter-Korean relations going forward.

LOUD SPEAKERS THAT CHANGED LIVES

Historically, South Korea’s broadcasts included K-pop music, uncensored international news, and appeals to North Korean soldiers and citizens – content that directly contradicted the propaganda of the North. These broadcasts were suspended in 2018 following the Panmunjom Declaration but were revived in 2024 as relations deteriorated.

Though often dismissed by North Korea as mere noise, these broadcasts in fact held far greater weight for those within earshot. For North Koreans living or stationed near the border, the messages coming through the loudspeakers were sometimes their first and only exposure to a world beyond the regime’s control. Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye once described these broadcasts as “the most effective form of psychological warfare,” crediting them with encouraging defections and challenging the ideological walls erected by the North Korean regime. Defectors who fled their homeland have backed up this statement. The content, though simple on the surface, often planted the seeds of doubt in listeners, encouraging them to question and, eventually, to act. For instance, at least two North Korean soldiers had reportedly defected in 2017 after hearing the broadcasts and were drawn, in part, by the unsettling realization that the truth they had known was incomplete, or worse, constructed.

A QUIET THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES

Photo: South Korea’s Defence Ministry

The decision to take down propaganda loudspeakers followed South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s directive to restore parts of the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement to reduce border tensions, which had been suspended amid rising tensions in prior years. According to South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, the dismantling was completed by August 6, and was intended to signal a willingness to rebuild trust and revive dialogue with Pyongyang.

While South Korea acted unilaterally, multiple reports from media outlets indicated that North Korean soldiers were also seen removing speakers near the DMZ around the same time. Despite these peaceful appearances, North Korea’s regime has publicly rejected any suggestion of reciprocation or thaw in relations. In a strongly-worded statement issued on August 13, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a key voice on inter-Korean affairs, stated unequivocally that North Korea had “never removed loudspeakers installed on the border area and are not willing to remove them.” She criticized Seoul’s dismantling of its own broadcasts as a misleading gesture, labelling it an attempt to manipulate public sentiment. Kim further dismissed South Korea’s interpretation of any such action as a “pipedream,” and rebuffed calls for dialogue by stressing that any speculation regarding engagement with Seoul or Washington is without foundation.

It may be short lived, but the silence along parts of the heavily militarized border is a welcomed break. Even though the North has rejected any notion of reconciliation, the South’s dismantling of loudspeakers along the Korean border has brought a long-waited feeling of peace to a region defined by tension and psychological warfare.

His Mercy is More: Helping a North Korean Find Grace

The North Koreans who come to our Elim Community classes often appear as if they have their lives together. Unlike those who come to Elim House, they are not in desperate situations. Some have retired and are living comfortably. But every once in a while, we are reminded of the weight that each carries from their dangerous journey to freedom. After one of our Seoul English classes this year, we were reminded of how vital these classes are in facilitating time together with others who have walked similar paths.

We took the class to a nearby cafe so that we could get to know them, and, more importantly, so that they could get to know each other. As our students conversed, our staff heard a loud gasp from a corner of their shared table. Two refugees, both in tears, had found out that they were from the same home town.

One of the refugees in this conversation, Michael, said to the other, “I feel so guilty for the things that I did to survive.” His new friend said, “You don’t have to feel guilty, you did what you had to do to survive.”

Even when enraptured by the serendipity of the moment, Michael could not shake his guilt. North Koreans are like glaciers. We can see very little above the surface, but we know that there is a larger story underneath what’s visible. Michael agreed to tell us more about his story provided we change his name and conceal some of the details of his life.

Surviving North Korea

He was in the army when the realities of the famine swept across the country. Michael had recently been discharged with a friend and did odds and ends to survive. He realized that he could not make a living in North Korea in such circumstances. He tried to convince his family to leave the country with him but they refused. So he convinced his friend from the army to go with him.

After crossing into China, Michael and his friend were able to find small jobs. Michael’s friend tried to get his two children into China but was unsuccessful. So his friend decided to go back to North Korea and reunite with his children. Michael heard that his friend made it back to North Korea but was taken away to a prison camp. This happened over 20 years ago and Michael does not know if he ever made it out of prison. Many North Koreans die in brutal prison camps. Some of those who are repatriated are executed.

Encountering Jesus

In our short interview, it was clear that Michael felt an immense amount of guilt. Even as he spoke of how he met his wife and started to attend church, he inserted a statement of self loathing. He met his wife in China. She was a believer and he was not. He spoke of his first experience at church in China, “It was my first experience in a worship service. I couldn’t understand what they were talking about. My wife had already accepted Jesus Christ at the time and I hadn’t. After coming to South Korea, I didn’t go to church for more than 20 years. It’s been only two years since I started going. I’m repenting a lot.”

Michael attends English class because his children have been learning English and he wants to practice with them. He attends class with his wife. Like many North Korean men, he is stoic on the outside. But this quickly melts away when he’s around his wife. Unlike many North Korean men, Michael is outwardly affectionate and loving toward her.

Our ministry to North Koreans is much more than free classes. Gathering times throughout the week is a way to encourage relationships and community. As they find their community, we hope that they are able to reassure one another the way that Michael and the North Korean neighbor he met in class did.

“You don’t have to feel guilty, you did what you had to do to survive.” This statement holds much more weight from someone who also went through the hell of the famine. As we gain trust and build relationships with these traumatized people, it is our hope that we can point them to Christ, the wounded Savior, and the only one who can heal their deep wounds.

Children Left Behind in China by North Korean Defector Women

“Kang No-eul” is a North Korean defector in Squid Game 3, who escapes to South Korea, only to learn through a broker that the child she was forced to leave behind may still be in China. While Squid Game is a television drama, Kang’s story and the anguish of separation echo a painful reality faced by many North Korean women under our care at Crossing Borders. These mothers, who fled desperate situations in China, often had no choice but to leave their children behind. 

Now safe in South Korea – free from the constant fear of being trafficked, arrested or forcibly repatriated to North Korea, where they would likely face imprisonment, torture or worse – they cling to fleeting connections with their children through video calls and text messages over WeChat, with no realistic hope of reunion. Each time they speak about their children, the sorrow is palpable, often bringing about tears.

THE PLIGHT OF STATELESS CHILDREN

Children of North Korean refugees at a retreat with a counselor from Crossing Borders

While exact figures are difficult to confirm, research suggests there may be up to 30,000 children born to North Korean mothers and Chinese men across China. Many of these children grow up stateless, without a hukou (household registration). Out of fear of exposing their undocumented mothers and risking her repatriation, many parents avoid registering their child. However, without hukou, they effectively have no legal existence – excluded from access to basic services such as education, healthcare and formal employment. 

In a society where access to public services requires ID authentication tied to one’s hukou, including mobile phone registration, e-payments and purchasing train tickets through China’s real-name system, this creates enormous barriers to daily life and increases the risk of long-term poverty and exploitation. This statelessness is thus more than a bureaucratic oversight, but a life sentence of exclusion. Human Rights Watch documents how families are forced to bribe officials, falsify paperwork or register children under another person’s hukou, as these half-North Korean, half-Chinese children live under constant threat of exposure in China. 

COMPETITION AND EXCLUSION IN SCHOOLS

China’s education system is notoriously competitive, and access is strictly regulated through hukou. Even Chinese children with rural or out-of-district hukou face pressure to secure places in top schools, often requiring local residential status. For stateless children of North Korean descent, the barriers are nearly impossible to overcome. Without the means to escape that status, they are excluded from schooling altogether. 

Even for those few who manage to leave for South Korea and reunite with their mothers, the challenges do not end. They face significant language and cultural barriers. Having grown up in China, many struggle with Korean fluency and adapting to South Korean society. They may fall behind academically due to gaps in schooling, face bullying or isolation due to their ethnic background and encounter mental health challenges tied to trauma, identity and belonging. Discrimination against North Korean defectors remains a persistent issue, and integration can be especially difficult for adolescents who have already endured years of instability.

ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS IN SOUTH KOREA

Despite the many hardships, there are small but meaningful efforts providing hope and support for these children. In South Korea, a number of alternative schools have been established specifically to meet the needs of North Korean defector youth, including those who grew up stateless or separated from their families in China.

Yeomyung School, founded in 2004 in Seoul, is one such example. It serves middle and high school-aged students who have defected from North Korea or were born to defectors. The school provides a trauma-informed education that includes academic instruction, emotional support and life skills training. Many students describe it as the first place where they have felt safe and seen. Another example is Heavenly Dream School, founded in 2003 in Seongnam, which offers a holistic, Christian-based education focused on leadership development and personal growth. Built into a megachurch, the school emphasizes community living, with teachers residing alongside students in dormitories to create a stable, family-like environment. Over 90 percent of its graduates go on to higher education – a remarkable achievement given the challenges they have faced.

A visit to Yeomyung School where Dan was able to reconnect with a refugee

We’ve had a chance to visit both of these schools (see the amazing reunification Dan had with a refugee at Yeomyung School) and we were so impressed by the abundant love and care they poured out towards children who otherwise would also feel a similar statelessness even after arriving in South Korea. 

The plight of stateless children left behind in China by North Korean defector women is one of the most heartbreaking consequences of forced migration and political oppression. These children are caught between borders, systems and national policies that deny them identity, protection and opportunity. Yet even in this bleak landscape, hope persists. With continued advocacy, support and compassion, more of these children can find a way out of the shadows and into a future defined not by abandonment, but by opportunity and care.

Remembering and Visiting North Korean Men in Prison

Our work is rooted in a specific mission: helping and sustaining North Korean refugee women and their children. But on a recent trip to South Korea, one of our staffers was given a rare opportunity to see a side of the refugee experience we don’t often encounter—incarcerated North Korean refugee men in South Korea.

Our visit that day was to Daejeon Prison, the largest correctional facility in South Korea, holding an estimated 6,000 inmates. Our staffer was accompanying “Pastor Y”, a man who regularly traveled all over South Korea to visit eight or nine prisons throughout South Korea and meet with North Korean refugee men. Before entering, they stopped at a local store to buy several boxes of Choco-Pies—a small gesture of humanity for men living in a world of stark realities.

Daejeon Correctional Facility

Inside, we learned, life is contained and isolating. Men are housed four to six per room, and these other faces become their entire world for the length of their sentences. A small lifeline of grace is provided through another ministry, which provides North Korean inmates with what prisoners jokingly call "payday"—a monthly stipend of 30,000 to 50,000 KRW (about $25-$40) for snacks and toiletries. It’s enough to create excitement for recipients and their cell mates, who often receive the fringe benefits of this monthly gift.

In a small, cluttered conference room, our staffer and Pastor Y spent the next two hours meeting with three men, each carrying the weight of a journey that didn't end when they reached freedom.

Incarcerated North Korean Refugee Men

The first was a tall, remorseful man who took what ended up being a harrowing 20-day trek through China, Laos and Thailand (referred to as the “10,000 kilometer journey” which speaks to the total distance traveled from North Korea to South Korea) with his wife several years before. They had built a stable life in South Korea, with the addition of two sons, now 8 and 10. He found steady work and a community of North Korean soccer league. But one night, after a game and dinner, a single, regrettable decision to try drugs with the group led to a police bust. He now spends his days in jail, holding onto letters from his wife, sons, and even his former boss, who has promised to rehire him upon his release in October 2026. Every weekend, his wife and boys make the six-hour round trip to see him. He told us he begs them not to come, pained by the burden he has placed on them, but they never fail to show up—a testament to a love that survives prison walls.

Next, we met a young man of 20. He had arrived in South Korea at 14 with his sister, following their parents who had already defected and settled in South Korea. He spoke without a trace of a North Korean accent, a kid who seemed to have assimilated well. But he was serving a five-year sentence for acting as a drug mule. By other North Korean contacts, he had been sent to Cambodia to bring back a package, and the police were waiting for him the moment he landed at Incheon. He seemed like a good kid caught in a terrible situation, and he expressed his thankfulness that he was caught on his first attempt and had never used the drugs himself. The prison worker who monitored us remarked to all of us in that room that if he hadn't been stopped then, his life surely would have been ruined.

Finally, an older man of 45 sat before us, a deep chip on his shoulder. He defected first with the hopes of bringing the rest of his family once he had settled in South Korea. This man believes his wife and daughter may still be alive in North Korea, but he has no way of knowing. After arriving in the South, he paid the same broker who helped him escape to get a phone and money to his family. The broker vanished, and so did his hope. He spoke of the prejudice he faced for his North Korean heritage, which led to fights and, ultimately, his incarceration. He was preparing to serve an extra 90 days to work off the debt from damages caused in a bar fight—a debt paid at a rate of 100,000 KRW per day of added time. He mentioned he was looking forward to the work of a lawyer who promised a retrial, and Pastor Y’s concern was immediate. Recognizing the hallmarks of a scam, the pastor gently steered him away, providing him with a list of reputable churches and other ministries in South Korea, as trustworthy resources for  looking into the validity of a retrial and even attempting to get information about his wife and daughter.

“I was in prison and you came to visit me. ”

— Matthew 25:36b (ESV)

As we met with each man, Pastor Y actively took notes including writing down the names and numbers of the men’s wives and children. It sounded like he had tried contacting one of the wives after his last visit three months ago without success, but he would try again. It was amazing to see that this ministry doesn't end at the prison gate. He visits the families, offers support to the wives, and helps care for the children left behind. It was effectively a family ministry that reached far beyond these incarcerated North Korean men. The choices these men made, whether out of desperation, foolishness, or trauma, created ripple effects that directly impact the women and children we serve. The trip was a reminder that the journey to freedom is complex, and for some, the greatest challenges begin long after they’ve crossed the border. While Crossing Borders is experienced in caring for women in difficult circumstances, it was eye opening to see firsthand a lesser known population of refugees, grappling with a different kind of imprisonment, and the quiet, crucial work being done to hold their families together.

Top Headlines From North Korea - July 2025

Six North Koreans with 'strong desire' to go back repatriated by South Korea

Source: South Korean Ministry of Unification, 2025

• South Korea repatriated six North Koreans who drifted into South Korean waters; all consistently wished to return home.

• Failed efforts to coordinate repatriation persisted for months between South and North Korea. This return is the first under South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who campaigned on improving inter-Korean ties.

• Upon their return to North Korea, the six individuals will face extensive interrogation, according to Nam Sung-wook, the former head of the Korea National Strategy Institute think tank.

  Sources: BBC, AP

North Korea bars foreigners from newly opened 'world class' beach resort days after opening

Aerial view of Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area

• Just days after opening with significant fanfare and hosting its "first foreign guest," the Russian Foreign Minister, North Korea's official tourism site announced the massive resort for 20,000 people was "temporarily not receiving foreign tourists."

• The move dims economic prospects for the resort and Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, which was a major national construction project intended to attract much-needed foreign currency.

• Analysts cited in the article speculate the ban could be due to a Russian media report that suggested the "local tourists" seen during the official visit were staged, causing embarrassment for the regime.

• The story provides a glimpse into the unpredictability of state policy and its direct impact on both the country's economic ambitions and the image it projects to the world.

  Sources: BBC, Independent.co.uk

Six American arrested in South Korea for trying to float rice and bibles to North Korea

Heavily guarded Gwanghwa area of South Korea that borders North Korea

• South Korean police detained six U.S. citizens attempting to float 1,300 plastic bottles filled with rice, $1 bills, USB drives, and Bibles up the coast to North Korea.

• Since taking office earlier in June, South Korean President Lee suspended anti-North Korea loudspeaker broadcasts on the border and asked activists in the South to stop launching helium balloons with leaflets.

• North Korea drove South Korean border residents to tears and pleading with their local government officials over a mixture of ghastly and “evil” sounds pointed towards the south over the past several months.

  Sources: NBC News, Reuters, NPR

Justice Department charges North Koreans posing as IT contractors using stolen credentials

• The Justice Department charged four North Koreans who posed as IT workers using stolen credentials, scamming U.S. companies out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

• The reports show a U.S. company unknowingly hired North Korean operative Jong Pong Ju, believing him to be Malaysian IT worker "Bryan Cho."

• Authorities said that it is not only for financial gain for the North Koreans, but access is used to attempt to steal U.S. secrets as well.

Source: ABC News

Kim Jong-un’s Japanese Mother: Ko Yong-hui

Ko Yong-hui, the late mother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, remains one of the most mysterious figures in the regime’s history. Despite her intimate role in shaping the current leadership, she has been systematically erased from North Korea’s official narrative. Ko’s story is not just a biographical curiosity, but a political liability.

THE WOMAN BEHIND THE SUPREME LEADER

Born in 1952 in Osaka’s Tsuruhashi district (the largest Korean neighborhood in Japan), Ko was part of Japan’s Korean diaspora. Her father, Ko Gyo-taek, worked in a military factory supporting Japan’s war effort and later fled to North Korea to escape prosecution for smuggling. This background, far from revolutionary, posed a political challenge for a regime built on anti-Japanese sentiment and the glorification of the “Paektu bloodline” – a mythic lineage that traces back to Kim Il-sung and his guerilla resistance against Japanese rule. Ko’s Japanese ties would therefore place her in the lowest caste according to North Korea's rigid songbun caste system.

Together with her father, Ko moved to North Korea at the tender age of 10 as part of a repatriation program known as the “Paradise on Earth” campaign that lured approximately 93,340 ethnic Korean residents in Japan (Zainichi Koreans) to North Korea between 1959 and 1984. By Ko’s early twenties, she had joined the Mansudae Art Troupe and caught the attention of Kim Jong-il, who bestowed her the title of “Merited Actress” in 1972. She bore him three illegitimate children: Kim Jong-chul (their eldest son, rumored to be apolitical and more interested in pop music than leadership, was said to have a “soft personality” and “feminine traits,” reportedly requiring hormone treatment to appear more masculine), Kim Jong-un and Kim Yo-jong (their youngest daughter more often known as the most dangerous woman in North Korea). 

Generated illustration of Ko, Kim Jong-un and Kim Yo-jong

Though Ko lived with Kim Jong-il for nearly three decades, she was never publicly acknowledged as his wife and rarely appeared in state media due to her birth heritage. Sadly, her final years were marked by illness and exile. Diagnosed with breast cancer in the late 1990s, she delayed treatment due to succession tensions. By the time she sought medical care in Paris in 2004, it was too late, and she died at the age of 51. Her grave on Mount Taesong remains one of the few public acknowledgements of her existence.

SECRETS OF THE MOTHER THAT SHAKES NORTH KOREA’S MYTH

Throughout the years, there have been careful attempts to elevate Ko’s status of revolutionary matriarch, akin to North Korea’s founding father Kim Il-sung’s first wife, Kim Jong-suk. For instance, North Korea began quietly promoting Ko in 2002, granting her the title “Respected Mother” – though notably, her name was never mentioned in official materials. Another glimpse into her limited cult of personality is a secret document published in 2002 that praised Ko as “the most faithful of the faithful, endlessly loyal to the Beloved and Respected comrade Supreme Commander,” and even featured a song hailing her: 

The Mother is Young

Looking up to the bright smile of Mother,

In my heart, ten millions buds flower,

For Commander-Father’s health,

Be always, Mother, in eternal youth.

Although the campaign was briefly paused following her death in 2004, Pyongyang revived it in 2011 with the release of the documentary Mother of Great Songun Korea, timed with Kim Jong-un’s confirmed succession, portraying Ko as a guiding maternal figure. However, the film conspicuously omitted her name, birthplace and family history to bury her past. By 2015, the regime began recalling and destroying copies of the documentary, fearing that her Japanese heritage and unofficial status as Kim Jong-il’s consort would undermine the legitimacy of Kim Jong-un’s succession.

Yet, Ko’s influence on Kim Jong-un was profound. According to journalist Yoji Gomi, Ko taught the young Kim Japanese songs and language, and her sister, Ko Yong-suk – who later defected to the U.S. – helped raise him in Switzerland. To this day, Ko Yong-hui’s legacy continues to live on in subtle ways, including in Kim Jong-un’s outreach this May to the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (a group known as Chongyron that acts as the DPRK’s de facto embassy in Tokyo), during its 70th anniversary celebrations. In his message, Kim referred to them as “our compatriots resident in Japan” and warmly invited them to visit their “homeland,” signalling a personal connection that echoes his mother’s roots.