"Pack your bags you're going to South Korea." These are the words nine young North Korean defectors had waited years to hear having traveled thousands of miles. Unfortunately it was a lie. The tragic story of this group of youngsters aged between 15 and 23 takes us back a few years when one by one they managed to cross the heavily-guarded border from North Korea into China to search for food. Most of them were orphans, while others had a parent unable or unwilling to look after them. A South Korean missionary living in China, known only as M.J. to protect his identity, tried to help the youngsters and has broken his silence to CNN.
@highlight
Missionary couple helped to hide young North Korean defectors in China
@highlight
The starving youngsters had crossed from North Korea looking for scraps of food
@highlight
Eventually transported into Laos secretly in the hope of escaping to freedom
@highlight
But they were caught and eventually sent back to North Korea and an uncertain future
One of the nine, a 20-year-old man, told M.J. he wanted to live in @placeholder as "even beggars in China do not go hungry."