SBS Dateline | Border Lives

In 2000, Dateline broadcast the extraordinary story of a group of refugees from North Korea, who crossed illegally into China to escape the devastating famine.

The story included one couple who were forced to give up their children just to survive.

It prompted such a response, that Dateline returned in March 2001 to find out what had happened to them.

Reporter Jung-Eun Kim found that they’d been captured and returned to North Korea, where they were imprisoned and tortured for leaving without permission.

But after escaping again to China, Jung-Eun was with them as they were finally reunited with the children they gave away.

Her report was produced by Peter Charley.

WATCH - Click to see this story.

ON LIFE'S BORDER - Watch Dateline's original report from 2000.

LEARNING LIBERTY - An update on another of the families was included in Amos Roberts' 2010 report on the thousands defecting to South Korea.