Although many North Koreans working, studying and even fighting overseas may fantasize about defecting after experiencing the outside world for the first time, heavy surveillance and harsh punishments prevent them from doing so.

But 35 years ago, two North Korean students took advantage of upheaval in Europe to find freedom in South Korea, setting a bold precedent for potential defectors today.

On Nov. 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall — the symbolic and literal barrier dividing the capitalist and communist worlds — came crashing down, heralding the end of the Cold War and communist rule for millions of East Germans.

Chun