Hye Sung is in China after escaping the most repressive regime in the world: North Korea. But her journey to freedom has only just begun. She knows that if she’s caught, she’ll be sent back to North Korea and face torture, forced labor, or even internment in a political prison camp. Even if she evades capture, she’s in grave danger of being trafficked and falling victim to abuse and sexual exploitation. This, right now, is Hye Sung’s time of need. It’s up to us to step up and help her reach freedom and safety.
To protect the security of refugees and their families, we never reveal the real names, photos or stories of active refugee cases. Hye Sung is a pseudonym representing one of the next North Korean refugees who will be rescued through our networks. Photos shown are of refugees who are already safe, and stories are generic composites drawn from the hundreds of refugees we have already worked with. When Hye Sung reaches freedom and is safely resettled, we may share more details about their rescue and life in North Korea, but only if they feel comfortable sharing this information publicly. Many refugees choose to keep their stories private because of the risk to their family still inside North Korea.
To read stories and see photos of North Korean refugees who have bravely shared their stories with the public, visit our blog.