This is an archive. Free Speech Radio News ended daily production in 2017 and this site is no longer updated — it preserves FSRN’s reporting from 2000–2017.

Refugees with disabilities face added obstacles on journey from North Korea

Recovered from FSRN’s earlier site via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. The audio here is FSRN’s own production recording. Originally published October 3, 2012.

Thousands of North Koreans have fled their homeland to find freedom in South Korea. It’s an escape that is often physically demanding. Many swim across a river into China, then travel in secret, avoiding authorities before they reach South East Asia – and from there they go to South Korea to seek asylum. But some refugees endure an even bigger challenge: those with disabilities face a grueling journey and an uncertain future. FSRN’s Jason Strother has one such story from Seoul.