The Spectacular Escape of a Korean to China

Zhu Xianjian entered China illegally in 2013, and three years later he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for illegal border crossings and theft. The court ordered that he be deported to North Korea after being released from prison.

Zhu escaped from prison about 6: 00 p.m. after climbing a cellar near the front door of the prison. North Korean left while other prisoners worked in the courtyard.

The information that will help police seize Zhu will be rewarded with $1,600 and if it turns out that the information led directly to his arrest, the reward will rise to $2,400.

The price sum is five times higher than Jill's citizens' annual revenues and nine times higher than the income of the province's rural citizens with the same name.

A video of Zhu's escape from prison was posted on social media, and was also reported by numerous Chinese state media.

The images show Zhu climbing into the warehouse, running over the roof, and using something like a rope to avoid the electric fence around the prison walls. He then climbed another metal fence and disappeared behind the high walls.

Another footage captured by security cameras shows Zhu rolls to the ground after jumping from a high fence.

After Zhu's escape, police blocked entrances to nearby villages and searched the houses there.

News of Zhu's escape spread rapidly through the Chinese social network Weibo, where images of escape were seen more than 22 million times.

According to the court file, Zhu entered China illegally from North Korea on July 21, 2013. It is said that he entered China crossing a river between northeastern Korea and the Chinese province of Jill.

Upon entering China, Zhu came to a village near the city of Tumen and entered several homes to get money, cell phones, shoes, and clothes.

Joua was seen in the third house where he entered from an elderly lady whom Zhu then struck several times. The old woman suffered severe wounds but survived.

The North Korean was arrested several hours later when he boarded a taxi with a view to escaping.

During his imprisonment, Zhu was sentenced to a double reduction for “regret, discipline, participation in ideological and cultural education and work”.

He had to get out of prison in August 2023.