Squid Game and the Stories of North Korean Defectors
**Warning: Contains plot spoilers
Netflix’s Squid Game has taken the world by storm, becoming the platform’s most-watched show debut and infiltrating popular culture. The high-stakes thriller juxtaposes nostalgic kid’s games with brutal consequences, hooking viewers with a compelling cast and pointed social commentary.
One of Squid Game’s most captivating characters is Kang Sae-byeok, a tough-as-nails North Korean defector who wants nothing more than to reunite her family. While she and her little brother managed to safely reach South Korea, their father was killed during the border crossing and mother was captured.
Sae-byeok’s story reflects the real experiences of the North Korean refugees we work with who have risked everything for freedom. Many were separated from family, have little support when resettling, and face prejudice.
The Perils of Defecting
Crossing the heavily guarded border between North and South Korea is virtually impossible. Instead, refugees must escape through China and journey 3000 miles through a modern-day-underground-railroad to safety in Southeast Asia. This has only become more difficult with pandemic-related restrictions on movement and border lockdowns.
If caught fleeing North Korea or arrested in China, which doesn’t recognize defectors as refugees, North Koreans will be sent back and face harsh punishment - brutal beatings, forced labor, and even internment in a political prison camp.
This is the reality that people like Sae-byeok’s mother face.
Still, thousands of North Koreans have risked everything to seek a better life. An estimated 33,000 refugees have resettled in South Korea.
“I wasn’t sure if I would see my family again because of the possibility of getting caught while escaping to China. Before I left, I got some opium and carried it underneath the collar of my shirt so I could take it to kill myself in case I got caught.”
- Joy, escaped through LiNK’s networks in 2013
Continue reading Joy’s story to freedom here.
Difficulty Assimilating
Once they reach safety and begin their new lives, refugees face a new set of challenges. Some have described the experience as stepping out of a time machine, 50 years into the future. Amidst figuring out the everyday intricacies of modern life, many refugees are still coping with the trauma of their past.
In addition to struggling to make ends meet, Sae-byeok faces social pressure and stigma as a North Korean. She deliberately masks her North Korean accent around everyone except her brother and is subjected to remarks about being a “communist” and “spy.”
While it is not specified how her brother ended up in an orphanage, one can assume that Sae-byeok left him there in hopes that he’ll receive care and education that she cannot provide. Tragically, the difficulties of establishing a new life in South Korea separated her from her family once again.
“At first I struggled a lot. There were many times when I either didn’t understand South Koreans or they didn’t understand me due to our different accents and words...Another difficulty was loneliness…I still feel lonely from time to time. I really miss my family.”
- Hae-Sun, rescued while hiding in China in 2013
Read more from Hae-Sun’s experience starting a new life in South Korea here.
Working with Brokers
Hoping to bring her mother to South Korea, Sae-byeok was in contact with shady brokers who scammed her of her money. It can cost tens of thousands of dollars to fund these risky escapes, especially directly out of North Korea, and then from China to Southeast Asia.
With the prize money from the games, Sae-byeok hoped to reunite her family and live under one roof again.
This is Not Where the Story Ends
Working with the right people who can help safely smuggle people across borders is the real deal. Liberty in North Korea helps North Korean refugees escape safely through a modern-day underground railroad, without ANY cost or condition.*LiNK’s rescue efforts begin in China
LiNK reunites families, supports their new lives in resettlement, and helps individuals, like Sae-byeok, reach their full potential in freedom.
When LiNK’s field staffer told me I was finally safe, I was overwhelmed. I had endured so much to make it this far - hard labor, imprisonment, and torture. And even though I was overjoyed to make it to freedom, I was deeply saddened that [my daughter] Hee-Mang wasn’t with me… I hold onto the dream that one day we will live together again.”
- Jo-Eun, escaped North Korea through LiNK’s network in 2018
Read the story of Jo-Eun’s journey to freedom here.
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When North Koreans successfully resettle, they become some of the most effective agents of change on the issue by sharing their stories with the world and sending money and information back to their families in North Korea.
Kang Sae-byeok’s story has come to an end, but you can do something to stand with the North Korean people today.
→ Watch undercover footage from real rescue missions.
→ Read more stories from North Korean refugees.
→ Donate to make rescue missions possible.
→ Connect with the global movement for the North Korean people by following us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
North Korean Refugees Reaching their Potential: A Mid-Year Recap of 2024
It’s been a busy first half of the year for Liberty in North Korea! In case you missed it, here’s all that we’ve accomplished together with YOU and our North Korean friends.
Many of these major updates have been a long time in the making. This bigger-picture impact is only possible because of the continued support and generosity of this global movement. With every update we share, know that you’re now a part of each of these stories, and you have helped to change lives!
The 2024 Advocacy Fellows: Bella, Grace, and Lily wrapped up their 2.5 months in the US after traveling to 11 cities, speaking at 48 events and meetings, and sharing their stories in person with over a thousand people!
20 North Korean refugees now living in freedom: Of the 20 rescued, 3 families were able to escape together and will also reunite with family in South Korea. One woman will be seeing her sister again after being separated for 25 years!
The LiNK English Language Program: This spring, we had our biggest semester of LELP yet—156 participants, including 78 North Korean students and 78 volunteers. 98% of participants reported that they were satisfied with the program!
12 North Korean students awarded academic scholarships: $77,400 was awarded to help North Koreans studying in the US complete their post-secondary education programs and achieve their academic goals.
Featured Content
- 📰 Read: From our World Refugee Day campaign, experience “The Journey” of North Korean refugees through the eyes of Il-Lyong, Vickey, Haneul, and Doohyun.
- 🎥 Watch: North Korean stories are headed to the Emmys! Beyond Utopia, a documentary following several people as they escape from North Korea, was just nominated for “Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking.” Stream now on Hulu!
- 📝 Learn: Curious about North Korean instant noodles? Or what middle school is like in the most closed-off country in the world? Our North Korean friend (and one of last year’s Summit speakers!) Sunghee is publishing weekly articles about her experiences.
LiNK in the News
- A daring escape by boat: Kang Gu-rin is one of just 15 North Korean refugees who have escaped directly from North Korea and made it to South Korea since 2021. Read more in this recent Washington Post article.
- The Closing of North Korea 2018-2023: Earlier this year, Human Rights Watch published an in-depth report on the devastating impact of pandemic-era restrictions on the North Korean people.
- Where they are now: Last month, Geumhyok, one of our 2018 LiNK Advocacy Fellows, spoke at the U.N. Security Council Meeting on North Korean Human Rights (timestamp 35:50). He’s the second LiNK program alumni to be invited to speak this year!
Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication to the North Korean people. We’re excited to see what the second half of 2024 brings!
