Escaping North Korea

Defecting from North Korea is a daunting task. At least 50,000 North Koreans have managed slip into China, but live in constant fear of deportation. Others embark on the Asian underground railroad in a dangerous trek across China and Southeast Asia. Tom O'Neill is senior staff writer at National Geographic and has written an article on the defectors for the February issue of the magazine with the help of his wife So-Young Lee. You can view a slideshow of North Korean defectors here.