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Asia

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Thu, March 23, 2023 | 09:50

When I escaped to South Korea, I felt guilt

When I escaped to South Korea, I felt guilt

When I was a university student, I couldn't understand why South Koreans were against reunification. However, after living in South Korea for more than 10 years, I can understand that there are various reasons to be opposed to it. It started with a documentary about the Korean War. A person in the documentary, Yoo Bok-ja, said when her mother was pregnant with her, that her f...

2021-03-21 16:09

North Korean defectors talk about escape, new life in South in English

My experience of teaching English to North Korean defectors

My experience of teaching English to North Korean defectors

Working with Freedom Speakers International (FSI) and the U.S. Embassy has been one of the best experiences I have ever had. As someone for whom English was not my first language, learning to speak English was a challenge for me, too. When I was learning English I received a lot of help from many people both in Korea and the United States and learned tips and tricks that help...

2021-03-06 09:41

My mother was tortured by North Korean authorities

My mother was tortured by North Korean authorities

I defected from North Korea in May of 2017 and arrived in South Korea in October of the same year. When I was younger, I learned about the childhoods of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jung-Il from school and from my parents. When I received snacks on Kim Il-sung's and Kim Jung-Il's birthdays, I thought I was the happiest child in the world as I paid my respects to their portraits.

2021-02-27 09:35

The faces of North Koreans

The faces of North Koreans

When you think about North Koreans, what image comes to mind? I would guess that most people would say Kim Jong-un or probably North Korea's nuclear weapons.

2021-02-21 14:36

Smile: A North Korean refugee's dream

Smile: A North Korean refugee's dream

When I was in North Korea, I never went to school. When I tell people that, they think I mean that I rarely went to school, or that perhaps I dropped out of school. It takes some time for them to understand that I mean: I never went to school in North Korea, not even once time.

2021-02-13 14:15

I escaped from North Korea thanks to the foreign media

I escaped from North Korea thanks to the foreign media

There once was a nine-year-old girl who had no idea that she would ever meet you. That's because she was born in North Korea. If not for her father's decisions, she would not be here today talking to you, she would still be a prisoner of North Korea. I don't know what you were doing at the age of nine, but I know what I was doing. At that time, my father began to prepare me t...

2021-02-06 10:04

The power of giving

The power of giving

As someone who was born in North Korea, it is so unexpected for me to be speaking about the Giving Tuesday movement that started in the United States.

2021-01-16 10:14

Escape from North Korea: My dreams as a woman came true in South

Escape from North Korea: My dreams as a woman came true in South

Have you ever risked your life to achieve your dream? My dream was to walk the streets of my hometown freely wearing a pretty dress and earrings, and to express my own voice against injustice. For this dream of freedom, I risked my life at a young age and escaped from North Korea to start my new life.

2020-10-10 09:21

Escape from North Korea: 'I'm free because of movies and English'

Escape from North Korea: 'I'm free because of movies and English'

Escaped from North Korea in 2006, arrived in South Korea in 2007 (repatriated from China in 2002 and 2004). I attempted my first escape from North Korea after I began to learn about the outside world when I was in high school. I had some friends in North Korea who would share movies from South Korea and America. My mind was moved by what I had seen. I couldn't wait to get out...

2020-09-19 09:12

'Colonizing the colonizers'

'Colonizing the colonizers'

I was born in North Korea without any liberty. I couldn't say the words I wanted to say, see what I wanted to see, hear what I wanted to hear. I never expected that my first trip to another country would be when I escaped from my own. I thought if I went to China, I would have freedom, but that expectation was completely wrong because I always had to run and hide myself from ...

2020-09-06 16:48

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