SEOUL TRAIN
[SEOUL] Intl Doc Competition

China, South Korea, USA, 2004, 55 min, Color, Digibeta
In Korean, English, Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles
World Premiere

DIR: Jim Butterworth, Aaron Lubarsky, Lisa Sleeth,
PROD: Lisa Sleeth, Jim Butterworth
DP: Lisa Sleeth, Jim Butterworth
ED: Aaron Lubarsky
MUS: David Harris

For five million North Koreans living in deplorable conditions and facing the threat of starvation and disease, an underground railroad to China may be the only hope for a better life…although getting out of North Korea is only half the battle.

SEOUL TRAIN profiles a handful of families as they plan and execute their escape from the oppressive North Korean caste system, which affords the lower third class no means to better their living situation and condemns them to rely on the Korean government for the most basic of needs. A secret group of activists, known as “the underground railroad,” facilitate their escape to China. But once there, they are considered refugees. And if caught, they are sent back to North Korea where they face imprisonment, torture and/or execution.

Taking extraordinary personal risk, the filmmakers, members of the under-ground railroad and escaping families offer us a rare glimpse into the shocking reality of human rights violations virtually ignored by the U.N. and the rest of the world.
 -Natalie McMenemy

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