North Korean famine
During the North Korean famine of the 1990s, there was an increase in defections, reaching a peak in 1998 and 1999. Some of the main reasons for the falling number of defectors, especially since 2000, are the strict border patrols and inspections, forced deportations, and the rising cost of defection. The most common strategy of defectors is to cross the China–North Korea border into Jilin and Liaoning provinces in northeast China. About 76% to 84% of defectors interviewed in China or South Korea came from the Northeastern provinces bordering China.