This young mother and her son are some of the North Korean refugees that Danish European Mission donors, through caring local Christians in China, are helping to bring to a safe country in South East Asia. For security reasons, we cannot name the local Christians. Had the Chinese authorities discovered them, they would have been forcibly repatriated and risked imprisonment.
Yun-Kyong, the 33-year-old mother with her six-year-old son Chol-ho, says: "For our family to survive in North Korea, my husband was involved in trading with Chinese companies, a business that was not officially approved by the North Korean authorities (for example, North Koreans sell fish, herbs or roots to Chinese businessmen and earn money to feed their families, ed).
He was caught and given a harsh sentence to be served in the notorious Chonkori Prison. Conditions in the prison are so bad that the prisoners' families have to provide extra food for the prisoners because the prison authorities only provide them with the bare necessities for survival. We were so poor that I couldn't help him in prison, so he died of malnutrition in February 2016.
We were so poor that I couldn't help my husband in prison, so he died of malnutrition Yun-kyong
When I heard of his death, I rushed to the prison just to find out more about what had happened to him - was he cremated and already buried? I became even more bitterly disillusioned with the North Korean state as I couldn't get any details about his death and, to make matters worse, couldn't complain anywhere.
I realized that there was no hope for me in North Korea, and because I wanted a better life for my son, I defected to China in December 2016. At a market in China, I met an old Korean-Chinese woman who referred us to a church where we could get help. There we met good Korean-Chinese Christians and a South Korean missionary who protected and helped us. The person who helped us is now detained by the Chinese authorities. I ask God to intervene and help in this difficult situation.
