“I’ll go to China, earn a lot of money, and come back. I’ll be back after sleeping for two nights.” Lee So-yeon, 49, a North Korean defector, crossed the North Korean-Chinese border in 2008, after tightly hugging her 6-year-old son. She had no idea that it would be the last day she would see her son. Having successfully made it to South Korea, Lee visited Pastor Kim Seung-eun of Caleb Mission in Cheonan in 2018 to bring her son to South Korea.
Lee’s efforts to rescue her son are captured in the documentary film ‘Beyond Utopia,’ set to be released on Jan. 31. The film is highly anticipated to be nominated in the documentary category at the upcoming Academy Awards, with the announcement scheduled for Jan. 23. ‘Beyond Utopia’ gained attention after winning the Audience Award for US Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival in January last year, and it officially premiered in over 600 theaters across the United States in October, receiving enthusiastic responses.
The movie tells the stories of Lee, working to rescue her son, and the Ro Yong-gil family, consisting of five members, attempting to defect. Filmed around the time when the North Korean-Chinese border was about to close due to the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic, the success of both families’ escapes was uncertain during filming. The challenging defection process was recorded using smuggled mobile phones and the cameras of accompanying crew members along certain routes. The Ro family’s defection, involving five members, included the assistance of around 50 brokers. The mother-in-law, the couple, and their two daughters took on a risky journey, covering 12,000 km, crossing the Vietnam border from China, navigating the Laotian jungle, and crossing the Mekong River to reach Thailand. There are scenes showing some brokers subtly asking for more money as they lead the Ro family in circles through the dimly lit jungle.
Unlike the Ro family, who eventually succeeded in heading to South Korea, Lee’s son is captured by Chinese authorities and forcibly repatriated midway. In an interview with Chosunilbo on Jan. 19, Lee said, “I can only hope that my son stays alive, even if he has to eat bugs crawling on the ground. Seeing my son’s face and sharing one meal with him is my final wish.”
Lee has been doing various jobs to gather money for her son. Starting at 7 a.m., she spends two hours cleaning at a gosiwon (a type of dormitory-style single-room accommodation common in South Korea) for an hourly wage of 5000 won. In the afternoons, she works at a bookstore carrying books, and after a short nap, she takes up a part-time position at a convenience store from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Realizing later on that “studying could earn recognition in Korea,” she entered university, majoring in social welfare. After graduating, she founded the civic organization ‘New Korea Women’s Union,’ actively helping the settlement of North Korean defectors in South Korea for several years.
The earnest efforts to bring her son back began around 2018. A broker from the ethnic Korean-Chinese community, promising to help with her son’s return, said, “If you give me 20 million won, I’ll bring your son back.” The broker, however, indulged in gambling with the money Lee provided and cut off contact. Seeking assistance, Lee approached Pastor Kim and ended up participating in the filming of ‘Beyond Utopia.’ At that time, she still believed in a happy ending. However, the broker who had promised to help her son’s defection betrayed her and reported them to the authorities. In December 2019, her son was repatriated and detained in a notorious political prison. Lee said, “Upon hearing testimony through another broker that my son suffered torture, with broken ribs and fractured teeth, I felt extreme self-blame and even contemplated suicide.”
Lee still sees herself as a sinner. Even when introducing herself, she says, “I’m Lee So-yeon, a mom who couldn’t bring her son to South Korea with her.” Until just before the Sundance premiere in January of last year, she wrestled with the decision of whether to include her son’s story exactly as it happened in the film. She was afraid that it might bring harm to her son. Lee explained, “I decided to be in the film after the production team convinced me that more people watching and showing interest might help keep my son safe from harm by North Korean authorities.”
Around October of last year, Lee heard through a broker that her son was alive. She said, “At overseas screenings, audience members teared up and ran to hug me, saying ‘I’m a mom too’ or ‘I’m a dad too.’ It gave me great strength.” She added, “To ensure that no other sons like mine suffer, I will continue to support until the collapse of the Kim Jong-un regime.”
