I’m here in Southeast Asia to see the routes
that North Korean refugees are using right now
to flee the regime
Jessie Kim was once one of those refugees
and she’s returned to show me the very places
she crossed on her own journey to freedom
You know, the last time you were here
was the end of a really long and hard journey
Can you tell us more about that journey
through China to Southeast Asia?
Jessie right now we’re thousands of miles away
from North Korea in the jungles of Southeast Asia
So why did you travel this far in search of freedom?
Why didn’t you just fly from China to South Korea?
That’s because the Chinese government doesn’t
recognize North Koreans, like Jessie, as refugees
If arrested by Chinese authorities,
North Korean refugees can be sent back to the regime
and face brutal punishment,
including torture, forced labor,
and even public execution
To reach a safe country,
North Korean refugees like Jessie
must travel over 3,000 miles through China
to countries in Southeast Asia
But the danger grows
as they approach the Southern Chinese border
If caught in this region and returned to North Korea,
it’s obvious to the regime
that they were trying to defect
and the punishment can be even more severe
Tell me about the day that you left China
and crossed into Southeast Asia
How did you cross into Southeast Asia?
Alright, it's dark
and we're here in the middle of the jungle
following some of the routes
that North Korean refugees who cross
from China into Southeast Asia take
Refugees that take this route
can spend up to 14 hours in the jungle,
climbing mountains, in the rain, in the mud,
with just a backpack
and the clothes on their back
Let’s go
Jessie, what was going through your mind that night?
Did you carry anything from North Korea
with you in your bag?
Were you ever thinking, like,
why do I have to do this?
Want to go first? Got it?
You lose the…
there’s like no trail at some points
You can’t put your hands anywhere
because there’s just so many red ants
The second you put your hand down,
they’re just like crawling up your sleeves
I do not know how people do this for 12 hours
and to be running away
from the Chinese police at the same time
It’s crazy
You make it through the jungle
and you wake up the next morning
in a new country
What happens next?
On the next episode of "The Escape,"
Jessie takes us to the final crossing
North Korean refugees must make to reach safety
And she returns to the very place
she crossed into freedom
