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Mon, June 1, 2020 | 13:54

Locked in a small room called North Korea

Locked in a small room called North Korea

There is a movie called “Room.” In this movie, a woman named Ma was kidnapped by a vicious stranger when she was a teenager. In the interim, Ma has given birth to a son, Jack. The two of them lived in a 10 by 10 room. For Ma, the room was a prison, but for Jack, “Room” is an entire world that is the only life Jack has known. Ma formulated a plan to escape from the?room, takin...

2018-09-02 13:59

Voices from the North

Voices from the North

Three years ago, when Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) held its second English speech contest featuring North Korean refugees, I reminded the audience of the Aesop fable "The Man and the Lion."

2018-08-25 10:11

Why North Korean defectors learn English (6)

Why North Korean defectors learn English (6)

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 dif...

2018-08-11 11:42

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (2)

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (2)

I hear from other North Korean refugees that they were influenced by foreign TV shows or movies, but in my case, it was reading a philosophy book from China. It opened my mind so much; I was a different person after that. For the first time, I began engaging in critical thinking after I read the chapter about Plato. I continued to pretend that I believed everything, but my mi...

2018-08-05 13:20

Unthinkable in North Korea: Ordinary and elite defectors mingle in Seoul

Unthinkable in North Korea: Ordinary and elite defectors mingle in Seoul

On July 22, Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) held a special forum with Thae Yong-ho, the former North Korean diplomat who escaped to South Korea in 2016. In attendance were four students studying at TNKR. Two of them gave the following responses to meeting Thae.

2018-07-29 14:52

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (1)

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (1)

After I arrived in South Korea, I sometimes thought about returning to North Korea. That would be like escaping to a torture room, so I never thought about it seriously. I really struggled when I first arrived here. The government was trying to offer me so many benefits, but I really wanted to make my own way. I was desperate about trying to find a job because of my unstable ...

2018-07-14 10:21

Why North Korean defectors learn English (5)

Why North Korean defectors learn English (5)

I feel pressure to learn English because so many people around me use it. I am desperate now because of my university classes, where sometimes I have to make presentations in English.

2018-07-07 09:51

The seven stages of Donald Trump

The seven stages of Donald Trump

In the past two years, I have talked with numerous North Korean refugees about U.S. President Donald Trump. Like others who go through “stages” for things such as grief, dementia, life or love, North Korean refugees have now gone through seven stages of Trump. Stage 1: The unknown. With Hillary Clinton anointed as the next president until the electoral votes were counted, can...

2018-07-01 09:45

Defectors' views on Kim-Trump summit

Defectors' views on Kim-Trump summit

I cried when I saw the Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un shake hands. When I was in North Korea, I was taught to hate Americans and America, that North Korea must destroy the USA, and that I must attack Americans whenever I see them. Now that I am free,

2018-06-23 11:08

Why North Korean defectors learn English (4)

Why North Korean defectors learn English (4)

There have been so many “moments” when I realized that I needed English. When I was living in China, I saw South Korean videos and dramas for the first time. And so many times, they would say words I didn't understand even though they were speaking Korean.

2018-06-10 12:42

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