N. Korean defector publishes second poetry book
By Lee Ji-hye
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Lee Ga-yeon
North Korean defector and university student Lee Ga-yeon has published her second poetry book based on stories of missing her mother.
"Today is my mother's birthday, I wash the rice with the flowing water, and cook it in a rising fire," Lee writes in a poem titled, "Cooking while waiting for my mother."
"I place the dishes for her birthday meal on the table. The wind and the sun stops by, but my mother does not come."
Lee's sequel to her first poetry book, in which she expressed thankfulness for being able to eat a fulfilling meal in South Korea, sets a rather different tone of grievance and loneliness.
"I thought of what I could do with the 70th year since the divide of the peninsula coming up around the corner," Lee said.
"I thought my poems could represent a unification that I desire, hoping that through my words many readers may relate to how I feel about my lost mother."
Lee, who defected from South Hwanghae Province in 2011, is studying Korean literature at Korea University.
She says she is still adjusting to Seoul.
"Everyone was positive when I first came here, but as time passed by, I realized it was much harder than it seemed at first sight," Lee said, adding that her introversion made her even more depressed.
"The more I know, the harder it is, especially living here and studying this field, which is why I comfort myself through poetry and literature ㅡ it's like a lover to me," she said.