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Su-in, female, escaped from North Korea in 2010
My parents had made the decision to escape from North Korea, and they convinced me that I should join them. My husband resisted, I was worried that he might report me so finally I left without letting him know. I didn't know exactly where I was headed, I just trusted my parents. It took me some time to appreciate freedom here. At first the quality of life didn't feel that different, but as I have adjusted, I can see the difference and feel how important it is to be free. I have been able to discover myself. Before, I was like a passive child, I didn't even make the decision to come here, and I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing. Now I am so grateful to my parents for bringing me here. After arriving, I had to get a job and do things by myself. It was challenging, but I realized: "I can do these things by myself."?
I often didn't understand what my co-workers were saying in English or in conversations when they mixed English in. I didn't mind it, I would just use Google Translate to catch their meaning. Then a new challenge came: My child began speaking in English to me. She knows more English than I do. She would ask me, "Mom, why don't you know that?" I began focusing on learning English.
Learning English has opened my eyes to the world, so I am now traveling rather than sticking to my daily routine. I hope that I will be able to travel, have conversations with local people and learn about their culture. When I traveled before, I followed the tour guides, but I want to move on my own to experience things on my own rather than following anyone. My English is improving so I will be able to travel by myself, I can be more involved in conversations at the office, and I can even move to a bigger company. Being in this capitalist society has forced me to learn who I am, so I don't depend on my parents, the tour guides, Google Translate or anyone else. I am becoming my own person.
Soohyun, female, escaped from North Korea in 2008
I have gone to the USA two times, and I can really see the difference in myself. The first time, I could only say "Hello." So I couldn't interact with people and I rejected giving speeches, even when people said they could find a translator for me. I couldn't share things about my life and experiences with people who were so curious to hear it. I almost gave up several times during the first month because I couldn't understand what the teachers were saying. Propaganda from North Korea was still dominating my mind and I was blocking myself from even trying to be open.
After I returned to South Korea and started studying at TNKR, I had another chance to go to the USA. This time, I was ready. I had been studying with so many nice and patient teachers, I was reading The Korea Times and listening to Voice of America every day. I was getting the propaganda out of my mind. I had no fear of foreigners after that, I began to have a positive attitude about life, I could see that strangers had given so much of their time to help me get to this point. I started at a basic level, I know it wasn't difficult for them to handle me.
The second time I went to the USA, my English had improved a lot and I felt confident enough to try to engage in conversations. I was thinking to myself: "Why should I be nervous?" I wasn't defensive. I felt they were eager to hear from me. I gave two speeches when I was in the USA. I could not have done it without so many nice people being on my side.
I am now looking for a job, and because of my improved English, I feel optimistic about my chances. I'm happy that I can even have this discussion in English. Compared to North Korea, South Korea has an incredible service mindset. People here can be so kind to each other, I hope I will have the chance to let North Koreans know about this. My eyes are now more open to the world, and I am getting rid of the propaganda from North Korea from my mind.
Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center, compiled these statements from interviews with refugees studying at the TNKR. TNKR co-founder Eunkoo Lee translated their comments from Korean to English.
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