North Korean defector Kim Yi Hyuk — who made headlines early last year when he and nine family members escaped the regime in a boat he built — has died in a diving accident. He was 36.
On December 5, the owner of the YouTube channel 'Lee Chul Eun NK TV,' Lee Chul Eun announced the news of his death.
Lee, a former senior lieutenant in North Korea's Ministry of State Security who defected to South Korea in 2016, said he learned of the news from the Netherlands and conveyed his sorrow in a message.
"I am sharing this post with a heavy heart," Lee wrote. "Kim Yi Hyuk, who courageously risked his life to escape North Korea in 2023 with his family, tragically passed away yesterday due to an unforeseen diving accident."
Recalling Kim as one of the first to shed light on the realities of life inside North Korea and crimes under Kim Jong Un's rule, Lee Chul Eun said, in Korean, "I hope his journey is now free of oppression and exploitation," he said, offering condolences to Kim's family.
Kim made news in May 2023 when he and his family successfully traversed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea.
After he managed to escape, he spoke on programs around the world about life within North Korea during the coronavirus pandemic, when the regime was enforcing strict border closures.
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Kim recalled August about his desertion from North Korea in June on Channel A's Now On My Way to Meet You.
But when his then-six-year-old daughter started kindergarten, he decided it was time to break for good, coaxing along the wife and children, as well as his brother, brother's wife, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law.
It took three tries, but they eventually made it across the line.
The death of Kim Yi Hyuk is a great loss, not just for his family but also for North Korean defectors as a whole.
He became a major voice for raising consciousness of the state of oppression that people still face under the regime.
He was an impressive man, indeed, and the extraordinarily tragic circumstances of his demise have made many admirers of his courage and strength come out and pay tribute.
