Mick Hartley

The BBC's Lucy Williamson interviews a broker who makes a living smuggling people out of North Korea. It's getting harder, with both the Chinese and North Koreans cracking down on defectors – so, inevitably, the prices go up:

Mrs Kwon says she makes $2,000-$3,000 (£1,250-£1,875) a month, helping people escape. And she says that is nothing to be ashamed of.

"I'm not a drug-dealer. I'm not bad, I'm just bringing people out. I'm doing something the South Korean government can't do. Yes, I make a profit from it, but it's still saving lives," she says….

Joanna Hosaniak is a human rights activist working for one of the main North Korea organisations in the South, called Citizens' Alliance.

She says that the crackdowns by China are leading to a rise in more inexperienced brokers, who are willing to take bigger risks for bigger rewards.

"There are some people I've heard of that are new. But because they are inexperienced, there are a lot of problems.

"Because they don't know how to do this they actually endanger a lot of the North Koreans who are trusting them."

And she says, the "money culture" developing in the border region is seeping into North Korea itself.

"A group of North Koreans has also become attached to this network – who don't want to leave, but are helping to get people out.

"Because North Koreans these days are looking for ways to make money, a lot of money, money-culture in North Korea is spreading, so a lot of people try to get involved with the brokers."