It’s a story so powerful that Hollywood producers are negotiating for the rights to tell Mike Kim’s story, reports NBC Washington.
It was in 2003 when Kim met a North Korean refugee during his visit to China. She was just 16-years old and had escaped North Korea into China in search for food, only to be abducted by human sex traffickers.
She managed to escape through a modern day underground railroad. The 6,000 mile secret route runs through China, Laos & Thailand.
It was stories like that that inspired Kim to start the group Crossing Borders. He sold everything he had to do it. Now ten years old, the organization has helped a thousand people escape North Korea.
“Once you see and meet the people, it’s hard to turn your back on them. “ said Kim.
Kim has told his story in the book, Escaping North Korea. If producers get their way, that book may someday be turned into a movie.
That would make the 16-year old girl who inspired Crossing Borders very happy.
“If more people know, will more people help us. And I said yes, that’s the idea. And she said please tell my story to as many people as you can.”
This is just one in a series of reports produced by NBC Washington to mark Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. You can see the stories here on NBC Washington.
