One of the toes protrudes a full inch further than the others from a purple, grotesquely bloated foot that has swollen to the size of a small melon.
The world’s finest surgeons would struggle to save Kim Kuk-wha, 50, from the amputation of substantial parts of her severely frostbitten feet. But as a North Korean refugee in China, Ms Kim was forced to travel nearly 3,000km to a third country before seeking proper medical attention – driven by the fear of being sent home to face a potentially fearsome punishment.
Ms Kim’s plight, shown in photographs seen by the Financial Times, reflects a growing crackdown on border security by governments in Pyongyang and Beijing.
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