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Hyeonseo Lee, who lived in a North Korean town near the border with China, often wondered why there were so many more lights on the Chinese side. One winter night in 1997, when she was 17, she walked across the frozen Yalu River to see for herself. What began as an excursion to satisfy her curiosity turned into a decade of hiding in China. In 2008, Ms. Lee made her way to South Korea, where she was granted asylum.

Recently Ms. Lee, who last year published a memoir, “The Girl with Seven Names,’’ told her story at the Beijing Bookworm Literary Festival. It was a rare public speech by a North Korean defector in China, which treats defectors as illegal immigrants and returns them to North Korea, where they can face prison or even execution. Ms. Lee discussed with The New York Times her experiences in China, the plight of defectors and China’s relationship with North Korea. Here are excerpts.

Q. Why did you come to Beijing?

A. Beijing Bookworm invited me, but it took me six months to make a decision. I have a responsibility to protect my family. But over the six months I changed slowly…

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/01/world/asia/china-north-korea-defector-hyeonseo-lee.html