(July 1, 2009) North Korean defectors take a life-threatening journey, traveling thousands of miles through China, Laos and Thailand, in the hope of settling as free citizens in South Korea. Intrepid South Korean journalists risk their own lives to capture the action and emotion.

As North Korea’s relations with its neighbors grow ever more strained, FOCAL POINT visits the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea.

Up to 100,000 defectors have fled hunger and political repression in North Korea. FOCAL POINT trains its lens on one of the 15,000 North Korean defectors who have made it to South Korea.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

Professor Katherine Moon, activist Steven Kim, and the Asia Society’s John Delury discuss the plight of North Koreans in China, what their experiences tell us about life back in North Korea, and the role journalists are playing in exposing one of the world’s most opaque regimes.

A roundup of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

Watch the full episode of Crossing Heaven's Border, and travel with North Korean defectors who make the life-threatening journey to freedom in South Korea.

A round up of links to local stories of global importance from around the world.

North Korean defector Myong Hui Eom talks about her daily life in North Korea as a school teacher, a Christian, and finally as a prisoner.