Taking the Roundabout Way to a Home Just Across the Border

After escaping from North Korea and taking a detour through China, the first 200 of the 450 North Korean defectors who were being detained in a country in southeast Asia arrived at the Seoul Airport in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do on the morning of July 27, by way of a special Asiana Airlines flight. The Korean government did not reveal the scene of their arrival to the press, owing to an agreement with the country of their previous stay. However, the group of defectors, which included a large number of children and women, pulled back the curtains on the bus en route to a training facility in Gyeonggi-do and peered with curiosity at their long-dreamt-of destination. Finally in freedom’s embrace after their perilous escape, they all exhibited bright looks and happy faces.