High-level defection: why N. Korean diplomatic family chose freedom

North Korean defector Oh Hye Son, speaks with AFP during an interview in Seoul recently.

SEOUL (AFP): Born into an elite North Korean family with ties to the ruling dynasty, Oh Hye Son grew up believing she was 'special' -- but then she tasted freedom overseas and decided to defect.

Most of the tens of thousands of North Koreans who have escaped repression and poverty at home make an arduous, high-risk journey across the country's land border with China, where they face arrest and possible deportation.