No, I’m not trying to tie Korea to the U.S. underground railroad. I’ve been hearing a lot about a documentary called “Seoul Train” lately. I was sorry that I missed it when it was shown on PBS, but I’ve ordered it so I should get it soon. In the mean time, I thought I’d check out their website. It’s fascinating.

“In the riveting documentary SEOUL TRAIN, filmmakers Jim Butterworth, Lisa Sleeth and Aaron Lubarsky expose the life-and-death struggle faced by North Koreans who attempt to flee their homeland through China, a country that does not recognize their legal status as refugees. - http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/seoultrain/film.html”

I think about North Korea quite a bit. Partly, it’s because we’ve heard so much in the news lately, but mostly it’s because I have a hard time separating North Korea from South Korea. While I hold my son, I have to wonder how many children in North Korea need to be held.

“These networks provide refugees with a place to hide from authorities, as well as money, clothing, transportation and sometimes fake identification papers. Activists also prepare refugees for their journey by showing them videotaped footage of escape routes and teaching them how to get past suspicious citizens or border guards. - http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/seoultrain/railroad.html”

Admittedly, there are many parallels to this new underground rail and to points of history around the world. However, this is not history. Stories of families fleeing for their lives and the people who help them (putting their own lives in danger) creates a feeling of unreality for me. The history major in me wants to put some distance between the facts. If I analyze it, perhaps it won’t seem as big.

Even if you don’t watch the documentary, I encourage you to check out the website (see links above). The website has a full description of the documentary and the creators. It takes you step by step through the underground railroad process and provides some links for you to learn more about North Korea. Your son or daughter might not come from North Korea, but it’s a small world out there and all that separates the country that they were born in is an artificial border.