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| Park Eun-hee, the winner of 9th English speech. Courtesy of TNKR |
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| Casey Lartigue Jr. |
Speaker 1:
I have two reasons for joining the speech contest. First, healing. When I joined the speech contest two years ago, I went through a healing process. I was able to write about my experience of escaping North Korea, going through China, then settling down here in South Korea. I felt my damaged heart had been healed. TNKR's co-founders, staff and volunteer mentors all encouraged me so much, they made it clear, "You are not alone, you can get out of your dark cage, we can help you and we will be with you."
Second, "to pay it forward." When I was an exchange student in the U.S., I often heard the expression "pay it forward." Now I feel that I can pay it forward by sharing my story and raising awareness. I hope that by sharing my story that I can help North Korean refugees who may be going through a tough time. I also hope that my story can help people have a better understanding of North Korea and the situations of North Korean refugees.
The opportunity to do this in English means that more people will be able to hear and understand me. It is an opportunity to pay it forward, to gain confidence about learning English, and to heal my own heart. I truly thank TNKR and tutors for encouraging and supporting me.
Speaker 2:
There are three main reasons that I chose to join this speech contest. One, because of English, I can communicate with the global world. I would have never had this kind of chance if to speak my mind I had stayed in North Korea.
Two, I can deliver the message about how difficult it is for North Koreans to get to freedom. People around the world take their freedom for granted, but North Koreans must take risks and be willing to cut ties with friends, family members, social networks in order to experience freedom. A North Korean leaving North Korea is unlike that of 99% of people in the world.
Three, joining this contest has helped me improve my English. I have learned so much during the process. That is important because English is an international language, so learning it means that I can have more choices in life. I look forward to the opportunity to speak in English to an international audience.
Speaker 3:
The theme of this contest, "I am from North Korea," seemed to come along at just the right time in life. I was born in North Korea and came from there. Because of that identity, I have always felt discriminated against here in South Korea. Through preparing for the speech contest, I was able to reflect on being from North Korea, I regained pride in my identity. This helps me feel more confident and also to remain realistic going forward, despite challenges.
Because of other things going on in my life, I had taken a break from studying English, to focus on finding a job and taking care of my new family. I recently sent my resume to more than 100 companies, but only one company responded. The only one that replied to me is related to North Korea. So even if I want to ignore my identity, the reality in South Korea is that things can still be very difficult for North Korean refugees.
If I want to change the world, I need to change myself first. I should not complain about unfairness in the world. I should be active in changing my situation. Preparing for the contest had me reflect on the situation.
Speaker 4:
The English ability of North Korean refugee college students is typically lower than that of South Koreans. We need to study English intensively, and this kind of organized speech contest helps so much. I can see that different parts of my English have improved so much, I have so much more confidence after working directly with my speech coach mentors.
In order to study English, we need money and time, TNKR provides a tuition free program for North Korean refugees, we have such fantastic and educated volunteers ready to help at any moment. It is so great that we can even manage our time because the program is so flexible, with classes being based on the learning needs and availability of students. At every moment when I am in TNKR, I believe that refugee students are at the center. I really like that. This program is based on the desire and motivation of students. I tried language institutes, but TNKR is the best program for me.
This speech contest gives us the chance to focus on English with language helpers supporting us. At every moment, I have felt at the center, that the speech coach mentors avoided trying to change my speech in any way.
Speaker 5:
This speech contest topic is "I am from North Korea." My speech is about freedom. Having freedom is natural for most people in the world, they can take it for granted, but that was not true in my case or for many North Korean refugees. My mom had to sacrifice her life for me to be free, that's how I got to freedom. During the preparation time for the speech contest, I had a chance to reflect on what it means for me to be free, and I was praying that North Koreans could get freedom soon.
I can feel that my English has improved so much from working with the speech coach mentors. There is a big gap among North and South Koreans when it comes to English, we can really see that among college students. We can see possible opportunities, but English often pops up as a barrier. I have felt so many times that I could take advantage of an opportunity, but then English would be part of the process and I couldn't get what I wanted. Last year I started studying English on my own, and earlier this year, I joined TNKR. My starting point seems late, at the age of 24, but because I have been able to study 1:1 with tutors and speech coach mentors, I have been advancing quickly. I never feel bored, studying English with my tutors and mentors has been so much fun, it is never tedious. This speech contest has been a challenge for me, it has pushed me to taken on new challenges.
Speaker who withdrew:
I was really looking forward to joining this speech contest. I really respect TNKR and its process. I always felt supported during the process, everything is transparent and professional with the staff and volunteers.
However, as I reflected on my life, I began to get too negative about North Korea. Some bad things happened to me and my family, and I could not overlook them. I really wanted to give a balanced speech, but I guess I am not ready to do so. I began to fear that if I said what I really thought about North Korea that I or my family members could be targeted. I am thankful the TNKR staff members supported me when I said I could not participate. I had a great time getting prepared and I feel that my English is much sharper. I hope to have a chance to try again in the future when I feel that I am ready to give a balanced speech that won't get me targeted by North Korea.
Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center, was the 2017 winner of the "Social Contribution" Prize from the Hansarang Rural Cultural Foundation and was recently named the 2019 winner of a "Challenge Maker" Award from Challenge Korea. TNKR co-founder Eunkoo Lee translated the remarks of the refugees from Korean to English.
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