This makes sense. They only rescued 15 in 2020. They discuss COVID on this page:
Coronavirus impacting and prolonging wait times for North Koreans in processing centers in Southeast Asia
As Coronavirus spread through Asia at the the beginning of the year, and borders began closing down, we were sad and frustrated as we heard of North Korean refugees in China unable to finish their journeys β their dreams of freedom put on hold as they were stuck in hiding, fearful of the possibility of being caught and sent back to unimaginable punishment.
Rescues came to a halt and our field team in Southeast Asia quickly pivoted to find new ways to support North Korean refugees where we could reach them. For refugees arriving in South Korea ready to begin new lives, they found themselves isolated in a country-wide lockdown with shuttered support systems. Our post-resettlement team jumped into action recalibrating our programs to accommodate these new and changing needs and came up with different solutions to continue supporting and encouraging this community.
This makes sense. They only rescued 15 in 2020. They discuss COVID on this page: