Somehow, Yunho’s mother “escaped” across the border to China, where she secretly works to raise money for her full escape with Yunho. He still lives with his grandmother (halmoni), but Yunho was forced to drop out of school, so he could scavenge for scrap metal fulltime to survive. In contrast, Myunghee lives entirely on her own, having lost all her family to starvation and the regime’s cruelty. Yet, the fates of the two North Korean children soon intertwine.
First, the cool-headed Myunghee saves Yunho from possibly betraying himself when the army sweeps them up amid a large crowd to witness the public execution of his Uncle Samchon. Fatefully. Yunho’s uncle had already arranged his passage across the river to China, where his Omma awaits. Myunghee also paid her way that far, using the last of her food.
Ominously, Myungheesoon finds herself sold into bondage to an elderly farming couple. However, when she makes her next “escape,” she comes face-to-face with Yunho, who reunited with his Omma. As the Korean Evangelical underground railroad plans the next leg of their journey, Omma temporarily “adopts” Myunghee. It will help Yunho to have someone to help care for his mother when she gets sick during the arduous trek. However, he also jealously resents Myunghee trying to share Omma’s affections.
If you saw the extraordinary documentary Beyond Utopia, you will understand the flight from North Korea is not simply one escape, but a series of dangerous escapes: first from the DPRK to the PRC, then from China to Laos, and finally to the reasonably safe Thailand, where the South Korean and American embassies offer asylum.
Cho captures the grueling nature of each leg. She also explicitly establishes the Evangelical Christian character of the rescuer network. Although the freedom seekers deal with a few mercenary traffickers, they are mostly helped by Christian volunteers, who risk their own lives and freedom to save North Korean defectors.
Cho vividly humanizes and personalizes their plight. Myunghee and Yunho are fully realized young characters, with believably messy pre-teen emotions. Adults will understand and forgive them, while the target 8-12 year-old audience will readily identify with them. As a result, Other Side of Tomorrow functions as an excellent introduction to North Korea and the general idea of repressive regimes to younger readers. Hopefully, someone can convince Marco Rubio to give Trump a copy.
Although set in 2013, Cho’s story is painfully timely. As she explains in the informative afterward, in the eleven years that passed, North Korea and China have further tightened the border. Yet, ultimately it is inspiring to see faith and freedom triumph over an oppressive totalitarian state. Highly recommended for readers of all ages, The Other Side off Tomorrow is now available at book and comic retailers.
