Toronto police continue to search for a 13-year-old girl and her brother, both of whom are refugees from the regimented life of North Korea. Police are concerned for the girl, Sol Han, because of her young age. Sol and her brother entered a half way home for refugees in Toronto in January but soon disappeared, apparently unable to cope with an alien society. Experts say it’s not uncommon among those who have managed to escape from places like North Korea. The brother and sister showed incredible courage and determination in making their escape. It’s generally thought they had to crawl across the frozen reaches of the Yalu River (above) to get to China. The bridge above is a symbol of China’s ambivalence about North Korea. The Korean side was bombed out during the Korean War. It has never been repaired. On what’s left, the Chinese have built a tourist platform so foreigners can gawk across at the desolate capital of Pyongyang. Of course, the Chinese could easily afford to re-build the bridge, but they haven’t.
