Webcomic: Escape From North Korea

February 23, 2026

By: Ju Ok Jeon

This webtoon, created by North Korean escapee Ju Ok Jeon, reflects the real risks many North Koreans face when fleeing their home in search of safety, dignity, and the chance to live freely.
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In the dead of night, a car pulls to a stop in the middle of one of Southeast Asia’s mountainous jungles. Two men exit the car and look around. They instruct the remaining passengers to also exit and continue on foot.

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A group of North Korean refugees exit the car. Among them are a brother and sister, both in their twenties, and an older grandmother. The youthful siblings are in good spirits while the rest of the group appears nervous. Walking through the jungle is the last stretch of their escape journey to freedom.

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A broker leading the group of North Korean defectors explains that they must cross the mountains and reach the escape boat by the end of the night, or the police will catch them at daybreak. The sister sets time on her watch.

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The North Korean refugees start walking in a single file line. They quickly start to grow weary from the humidity and difficult terrain. The brother checks on his sister.

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The sister reassures her brother that she is doing okay. The brother extends a helping hand to the North Korean grandmother, who is struggling on the difficult journey. The trio fall behind the main group of defectors.

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The elderly grandmother loses strength and falls. She implores that the siblings leave her behind, but they refuse. Grandma continues to struggle and falls several more times.

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The sister can just barely make out the light of the larger group of North Korean defectors ahead of them. The brother is carrying the grandma’s backpack; they are all exhausted. The sister says they should stop to rest.

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The grandmother, shaking from wearines, once again says to leave her behind. The sister and brother exchange resolute glances, and refuse to give up.

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The trio have lost sight of the rest of the North Korean escapees. Grandma collapses to the ground, unable to get up again. The sister checks her watch.

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The grandmother’s hand brushes across a bone laying on the floor of the jungle. Startled and exhausted, her vision blurs.

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The grandmother once again tells the siblings to leave her behind. Grasping the sister’s hand, she says they must live.

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The sister clasps grandma’s hands and says not to give up. The three North Korean defectors regain their composure and continue forward until they reach a sheer cliff in the middle of the mountainous jungle.

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The three North Korean defectors begin to scale the cliff, the brother carrying the elderly grandmother on his back. The sister makes it to the top; she urgently extends a hand to pull up her brother, who is losing his grip.

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The brother and grandmother slide partway down the cliff. The grandmother holds on to the brother with her arms around his neck; her grasp starts to choke him.

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The brother starts to panic. Color drains from his face.

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The sister yells out to her brother to hold on; she manages to grab his arm and pull them up the cliff. The three North Korean defectors collapse on the ground and catch their breath. The brother says he almost died.

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Daylight begins to creep over the side of the mountains. The three North Korean defectors wearily continue their escape journey, the two siblings propping up the grandmother by her arms over their shoulders. The grandmother expresses despair and wonders if choosing this journey was worth it; the sister says that they should live like human beings, even if just for a day.

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The three North Korean defectors discuss their choice to risk their lives for freedom. Sunlight begins to illuminate their faces. In the distance, a rooster crows for dawn. They say a desperate prayer.

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The sun is up. The grandmother says that she’s now free from North Korea and tells the siblings to continue without her.

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The North Korean grandmother holds the sister’s hands and smiles warmly.

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The sister’s resolve wavers, and she considers leaving the grandma to increase their chance of survival. She exchanges glances with her brother. They both know they can’t leave the grandmother after coming this far.

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The time is 7am. Under a blue sky, on the banks of a river in front of a boat, the rest of the group of North Korean refugees have gathered. They look around to see if everyone is accounted for and are about to depart.

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The group of defectors hear distant shouting from the edge of the jungle. The brother, sister, and grandma are running towards the river and yell for the boat to wait; they’ve just barely made it.

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The three North Koreans burst into tears of relief. The broker leading the group is happy to see that everyone survived the dangerous trek through the jungle. The boat departs.

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Amidst the beautiful scenery of Southeast Asia, the boat of North Korean refugees makes its way down the tree-lined river. In the sky, clouds have parted to reveal a double rainbow. The North Korean refugees have made it to safety and freedom.

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About the Artist

Ju Ok Jeon is a North Korean defector who escaped in 2013. Having lived under the Kim Jong Un regime in an oppressed land, she conveys—through webtoons and comics—how precious the values of freedom and dignity truly are, with both sincerity and storytelling power.

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Support Ju Ok’s work: @unistudio_juok

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From Artist to Activist

As a kid in North Korea, Ju Ok was famous at school for one thing—drawing portraits of people passing gas. Her classmates flocked to her, asking to be drawn in exchange for snacks and even small amounts of money. Nothing made Ju Ok happier than to see people’s faces light up with a big smile, and to laugh together over her creations.

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But things came to a halt when a teacher pulled her aside for “disrupting the school environment” with her “unrevolutionary” drawings. Ju Ok’s art supplies were confiscated, and she was warned that her parents could be punished for failing to educate their children.

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“I vowed to never draw again because my simple drawings could bring harm to my family. But no matter how hard I studied or worked, opportunities were limited because my family belonged to the labor class. After a relative defected, my social classification [songbun] fell, leaving me destined for a life of forced labor. Realizing there was no hope or future, I decided to escape.”

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In freedom, Ju Ok found that there was a lack of public understanding and empathy about North Korean human rights. A few years ago, her husband, who is also an artist, encouraged her to try drawing again.

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“After being severely scolded as a child, I hated anything related to drawing. But when my husband told me I have talent, I got chills—thinking, ‘Did I actually used to like this?’‍
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‍Through illustration, I want to share the reality of North Korea I experienced, my journey toward freedom, and my resettlement in a free society—so the world can hear the voices of those who still long for freedom inside North Korea.”

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Ju Ok hopes her art will reach more people and increase support for this issue. In 2025, she participated in the LiNK English Speech Program to hone her storytelling and English speaking abilities.

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“The North Korean issue is not only a domestic matter on the Korean Peninsula but also a complex international issue. That is why it is vital to raise awareness globally—and for North Korean defectors to share their stories directly in English. LiNK’s program has played an important role in helping me move toward my life goals.”

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Reimagining North Korea’s Future

Liberty in North Korea helps North Koreans reach freedom and reach their full potential through programs that build their capacity to succeed and lead change. With the right support and tools, they’re sharing their stories, utilizing their talents, and building their careers with unwavering purpose—to create a future where every North Korean person can live free and full lives.
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Invest in the next generation of North Korean advocates, storytellers, changemakers, and entrepreneurs, like Ju Ok.

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Give Today

Starting Fresh: A Conversation with Jin Kyung

September 12, 2024

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Jin Kyung escaped North Korea after experiencing her own modern-day Cinderella story. Her parents divorced when she was still young, and for a short time she lived comfortably with her father, but when her father remarried a year later, Jin Kyung’s life took a turn for the worse. Her father often worked away from home, leaving her alone with her stepmother, who scolded and punished her every day. Resolving to find a better life for herself, she escaped to China.

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Jin Kyung was sold soon after crossing the border, but the family she had been sold into showed kindness and love to her. Unlike many women who are sold, she was allowed to come and go as she pleased. She came to be fond of the Chinese man and his parents. However, Jin Kyung wasn’t ready to settle for a life as an illegal immigrant in China despite being grateful for a happy home. Her new family helped coordinate her escape to South Korea, which she admits is not a common occurrence. After resettling in South Korea, she attended school and eventually reunited with the Chinese man, who is now her husband. They have a four-month-old son together and she’s currently a stay-at-home mom.

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Our resettlement coordinator Anna visited with Jin Kyung and her son recently to see how they're doing.

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Anna: What was the best thing that happened to you recently?

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‍Jin Kyung: I’m grateful for every day for numerous reasons. It especially warms my heart to see my baby smiling, although taking care of him is sometimes physically demanding. My husband and I talked about having a second, but I’m not sure if I can handle it if I start attending college. In fact, I also passed the GED this past April and just submitted two college applications yesterday as a hair design and make-up artist major.

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Anna: What's your biggest challenge in South Korea?

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‍Jin Kyung: Raising a child is very challenging and sometimes tiring, but I enjoy it so much and want to have a second one as soon as possible.

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After I got out of Hanawon and for a few months after that, I felt so lost and clueless.

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Anna: How did you overcome the challenge?

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‍Jin Kyung: Although many people recommended for me to go back to school, I only wanted to earn money to send to my family in North Korea. I soon found a job at a factory, but realized that there’s a limitation to the types of careers that I can pursue if I don’t get a proper education. I realized what my priority should be after working in a labor-intensive job at the factory.

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Anna: Who has been the biggest help (outside of LiNK) to you since you arrived in South Korea?

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‍Jin Kyung: A teacher from the alternative school that I attended the last few years. She is the one who actually got me interested in studying and led me to gain different perspectives on the world and life. She’s such an enthusiastic person who didn’t mind if I asked her questions, and she was always available when I needed her. I’ve been able to achieve as much as I have up until now thanks to her.

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Anna: What was your biggest challenge in North Korea?

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‍Jin Kyung: Living itself was very hard. I always faced starvation and struggled with serious domestic conflict. When I reached puberty, I abruptly left home to escape from that reality.

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Anna: What is it like living in freedom in South Korea?

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‍Jin Kyung: I believe resettling in a new society is not easy whether you have more freedom or not. I had an inferiority complex because I had a different intonation and background from South Koreans. For example, I couldn't even understand what a bank clerk was saying to me one time. I used to care so much what other people thought about me. It just takes time to adjust to a new community.

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Anna: What is something that you started to do in South Korea that you never did before?

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‍Jin Kyung: STUDY! I've always wanted to attend school to study and make friends since I was back in North Korea, but I had to leave school at a young age for family reasons. At first, I had no confidence in myself to study again, and I was honestly afraid to start anything at that time. The teacher whom I mentioned earlier, she boosted my confidence by lavishing me with praise. She encouraged me with praise for one correct answer instead of scolding me over nine wrong answers. In spite of many unfamiliar words in math, Korean, science, sociology, and history classes, I quickly gained more confidence and started to catch up! I’m still so proud of myself for passing the GED this year and I’m anxious, yet excited, to start college soon.

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Anna: Have your perceptions of Americans and South Koreans changed?

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‍Jin Kyung: I honestly had no spare time to care anything other than living day by day. I really didn't know much about other countries, but the fact that I grew up hearing bad things about them gave a negative impression. I actually used to think that the U.S. is the cause of separation of the Korean peninsula and wished that the U.S. had never existed, however, those thoughts all changed once I arrived in China by simply watching Korean movies and dramas.

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Anna: What advice would you give to a friend who just arrived in South Korea?

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‍Jin Kyung: I don’t think I’m in a position of giving them advice because there are many defectors who have lived here longer than I have. Nonetheless, I realized a few things as I resettled in South Korea. I wish North Korean defectors opened up their mind more to accept this new culture and engaged with South Koreans. I believe that it’s difficult to understand someone’s hardship if you haven’t been in the same situation, so I, as a North Korean defector, would like take an approach to get along with South Korean friends.

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Anna: How often do you think about North Korea? What do you think about?

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‍Jin Kyung: I should, but I tend not to think much about North Korea. I get upset whenever I think of North Korea because it brings out my hurtful memories and struggles. I’m also so sad and feel pity for those who still live under the miserable circumstances.

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