Defectors tell story of escape from North Korea

Cherie Yang wins English speech contest

By John Redmond

Seven North Korean refugees related their experiences of escaping North Korea via China in an English speech contest organized by Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) at Shin & Kim law firm in Myeong-dong, downtown Seoul, Saturday.

Themed “That Moment: My Escape from North Korea,” the speakers were given 10 minutes to talk about a particular moment or a turning point in their lives as they realized they had to escape the reclusive country.

Many spoke of the North Korean regime’s brainwashing tactics and living in complete ignorance, with one contestant speaking of watching a rare television broadcast of the 2012 FIFA World Cup and not knowing who the other countries were.

“I had never seen a world atlas before. I didn’t know what Australia was. All I knew was North and South Korea, China and the USA,” he said, asking to remain anonymous.

The common theme with most speakers was the fear of being caught. One contestant said that he and his mother discussed suicide after being arrested on a train.

Grand prize winner Cherie Yang talked about how she fled to her friend’s home only to discover the police were looking for her.

“After days of wandering across fields I came to my friend’s home. I was told the police were looking for me. I had to leave North Korea,” Yang said.

Ken Eom, another refugee from the North, grabbed second place in the fifth biannual speech contest.

Many contestants did not allow their pictures to be taken for fear of their own lives and the safety of family members still in North Korea.

“This time, more of the speakers are taking the threat seriously,” said TNKR co-founder Casey Lartigue, Jr. “A few of our speakers have asked us not to record their speeches this time. So we had an internal discussion and decided to have this contest off-record.”

TNKR is a Seoul-based NGO that provides free English language lessons for North Korean refugees. It has connected 264 North Korean refugees with 539 volunteer tutors and coaches.

The group was established in 2013 under the leadership of Lartigue and National Director Lee Eun-koo.

“A fantastic thing is observing sessions where coaches and refugees prepare together. Overall, since Jan. 26, seven refugees have had coaching sessions with 18 volunteers. The volunteers have had 39 one-on-one coaching sessions with refugees for a total of 66 hours,” Lartigue said.

“We are lucky to have so many volunteers from around the world willing to give up so much of their time to help refugees improve their English, get prepared for academic and employment opportunities and tell their stories.”

TNKR and Shin & Kim hosted the contest. The Korea Times and Korea Development Bank sponsored the event.

Visit facebook.com/TeachNorthKoreanRefugees for more information on TNKR.