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(Image: GETTY/ SG)

Brave Jong Yol-ri had one chance to flee his desperate life under dictator Kim Jong-un when he competed in the International Mathematical Olympiad in Hong Kong last year.

Aged 18, he could not wait another year because he would be too old to take part in the Olympiad.

If he failed, Jong would have most likely been sent to North Korea's infamous death camps.

(Image: SG)

Despot leader Kim deliberately left areas of his country flooded to stop desperate wannabe defectors fleeing.

Jong's dad – the only person Jong had told his plan to – gave him US$200 (£161) to make the journey.

The day after the Olympiad had finished, Jong sneaked out of his dormitory at the Hong Kong University of Science.

He took a taxi to Hong Kong International Airport where he thought he could find some South Koreans.

He approached staff working for a South Korean airline and told a manager that he wanted to go to South Korea, a source told South China Morning Post.

The South Korean consulate were called – but Jong was forced to take another taxi there by himself because of bureaucracy preventing him from being helped.

Jong spent two months at the consulate where he slept in a small room, played computer games and used a treadmill to exercise.

Two months later, Jong flew to Seoul with a new passport and a valid Hong Kong tourist visa.

Next month he will start university after taking classes in South Korean language, culture, society and international relations.