In a daring plot, a family of nine successfully escaped North Korea by sea after 10 years of preparation. The plan was first conceived by the family’s patriarch, who believed that there was a vast world out beyond North Korea and said that the ocean was their only escape route.
On May 6, 2023, the Kim family, consisting of two brothers, Kim Il-hyeok and Kim Yi-hyeok, their mother, Il-hyeok’s wife, who was five months pregnant, Yi-hyeok’s wife and two children, aged 4 and 6 and his mother-in-law and brother-in-law, all climbed onto a boat in the North Korean shores to cross the Yellow Sea.
To make the escape happen, the younger son had relocated to the coast of North Korea and spent years learning maritime skills and boat repair. He also tracked patrol patterns near the Northern Limit Line, understanding the gaps in the government's surveillance of the area.
According to Il-hyeok, who spoke to CNN, their family was considered well off in the country where more than half of the population is said to live in poverty.
The two brothers’ father used to trade antiques, gold, and even sold coal transported by train.
The family also had exposure to South Korean media after they obtained a second television smuggled in through China.
Their father, however, died before the escape plane was realised. He left the money to his children.
Il-hyoek, meanwhile, grew his savings by selling household appliances.
In May 2023, the visibility over the seas dropped due to storms, creating a perfect opportunity.
Il-hyeok, however, had to convince his wife, who was in her second trimester, to escape. She was initially hesitant but agreed later when he said that it was for the sake of the child.
Since women in North Korea don't usually go out to the sea, all the women had to make it to the boat by crossing a minefield to avoid being detected by patrols and coming under suspicion.
Since the family lived close to the sea, they used their connections to bribe the guards and assembled at an unknown coastal point.
The two children were hidden in burlap sacks to avoid detection. They also carried the ashes of their father.
The brothers also modified the engine of the boat by muffling the noise. They set off slowly without making noise. After two hours of silent sailing, the family crossed into South Korean waters.
Near South Korea’s Yeonpyeong island, Kim Il-hyeok turned on a searchlight, and a navy ship sailed towards them. The navy asked them if their engine had broken down, to which the family replied they were “North Korean fishermen here to defect to South Korea.”
Four months later, Il-hyeok’s daughter Yeri was born, Tragedy however, followed a year later, and his brother Yi-hyeok died in a scuba diving accident just two months after Yeri’s first birthday.
Despite the losses, the family continues to rebuild their lives. Ilhyeok is training to be a chef and learning to operate a forklift, and he even welcomed a second daughter who was born this year. “I consider myself one of the lucky ones,” he said.