Well, you don't mind us other often risking their lives.

But ever since Kim Jong un to over, it's become harder to cross North Korean borders on.

With the global pandemic, defecting has become almost impossible.

Here are the numbers.

This shows just how many defectors escape to South Korea each year since 2000 and two.

You see the numbers rise until 2011, but then they drop off.

This is when Kim Jong Un took over after his father died.

I think this is Ha Jin Woo, a defector from North Korea who worked as a broker from 2010 to 2014.

Terrible, which you got.

Sorry about the typo.

Proco.

This is how people used to defect.

There are many routes you could take across the DMZ.

Embassy defections.

But for average North Koreans, the most practical escape was through the Chinese border up north.

How explains what it was like before Kim Jong Eun, when border security was more lax.

It's impossible to verify the following accounts, but many defectors have shared similar stories before, but ha says Kim Jong unnoticed, many defectors appearing in South Korean TV on it felt something had to be done.

A normal component, a smooth a new electric barbed wire fence was also put across the border.

How then had to start using high ranking military connections to continue his work?

How would put his defectors in high ranking officers cars so the guards wouldn't check them?

But even that's got really hard, and at times they had to resort to high risk river crossings.

How would use his connections to ask a military commander to clear that idea for 30 minutes?

He would then bring his defectors down a ladder and across the river.

From here, the defectors were handed over to the Chinese team on the hiding game would begin.

The defectors had to escape the eyes off Chinese authorities once the plan is set, usually in a team of 4 to 5 in a van, the defectors would head towards Southeast Asia.

How himself used the writ on the Mekong River to get to Thailand when he escaped.

Oh mama what?

Who what?

This is footage from another defector.

The boats are narrow, with 4 to 5 people on it it can get dangerous.

After the treacherous boat ride, defectors would finally arrive in a country that won't deport them back to North Korea.

They don't and Ogimi put on the tail.

It would be almost over.

The defectors would surrender to the local police or the South Korean Embassy, and the rest is taken care off.

Finally, they would board a plane heading to South Korea.

It could take from two to more than six months to get through this entire journey.

You know, I remember.

Wow.

Uh, while ha escaped in 2014.

Those who might want to leave this year are finding it harder.

Let's go back to that graph.

Guess how many North Koreans escaped to the South this year?

195 as off September 2020 on.

That's people who were already in China waiting to come to South Korea.

That's more than an 80% drop from last year.

With the coronavirus, North Korea has tightened borders like never before equals, uh consistent, Uh, e trade booth.

Uh, whatever a e.

I think you're going to put up with anything could not.

However, it seems no matter how life threatening the escape has, there will always be people trying.

My name is Haram.