Mr. Kim managed to make what appeared to be an impossible escape from North Korea earlier this year. Along with his mother, brother's family, and an urn holding his father's ashes, he departed by boat with his entire family.

They are the first people who have journeyed south this year and departed the country. The Covid pandemic rocked North Korea's government so badly that it shut down trade, locked its borders, and cut off the country from the outside world. Defections, which were formerly rather common, have virtually halted.


In the first defector interview since the breakout, Mr. Kim gave the BBC an exclusive look at how he planned this amazing escape. He revealed new details on day-to-day life in the country, including famine and growing levels of repression. To protect his family here and in the North, he asked that we not divulge his entire identity.

The BBC is unable to independently verify every one of Mr. Kim's statements.