Perils of escaping North Korea

Hunger is driving North Koreans to escape to China, crossing a river frontier at the mercy of traffickers.

Once in China they are forced to live secret lives, the women often sold into forced marriages or prostitution, because if discovered the Chinese authorities will send them back.

A small number of people try to escape through Laos and Thailand to South Korea - a dangerous and difficult journey.

Geum-Hee was a tour guide in China and hid her North Korean origins by disguising her accent and speaking fluent Mandarin.

But she too was illegal. She escaped from North Korea once before but was caught by the Chinese and sent back.

This World: Escaping North Korea is on BBC Two at 1900 BST on Monday, 6 April.