Inside Hwang's network, moving defectors, cash across N. Korea's hardening border
Hwang Ji-sung, 46, fled North Korea in 2009. Since then, he has helped roughly 3,000 people escape the North and sent money to many of the families they left behind. “At first, I didn't understand why defectors would cry over having no news of their families. Getting that kind of news wasn't hard for me,” Hwang said in an interview with The Korea Times. “So I told them, 'I'll do it for you.'”…
Hwang Ji-sung, a 46-year-old former North Korean citizen, has assisted around 3,000 individuals in escaping the country and has provided financial support to their families still residing in North Korea. In an interview with The Korea Times, Hwang explained that he initially did not comprehend the emotional impact of defectors being deprived of news about their loved ones. He stated, "I told them, I'll do it for you."
Born in Musan County, North Hamgyong Province, Hwang developed a deep understanding of the North Korea-China border, particularly the Tuman River's water levels and currents. This knowledge became invaluable when he started smuggling goods into China during the mid-1990s famine, which claimed the lives of an estimated 600,000 to 3 million people, the exact death toll remaining uncertain.
Hwang also guided women who had been trafficked into China, enabling them to return to their Chinese husbands by taking them to the Tuman River banks.
In 2005, Hwang made his first attempt to defect, motivated by a desire for freedom and the knowledge of the thriving conditions in South Korea.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
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