Refugees speak about women's lives in North Korea
Top prize winner Young-mi, center, receives her prize certificate during the sixth English speech contest hosted by Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) at Shin & Kim law firm in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Saturday. The three judges are, from left, Shin & Kim lawyer Yun Jeong-min, director-actor Sean Richard Dulake, and The Korea Times Deputy Managing Editor Park Yoon-bae. TNKR co-founder Casey Lartigue Jr. is third from right and TNKR co-founder Lee Eun-koo at far right. / Courtesy of John Redmond
TNKR hosts 6th English speech contest
By John Redmond
Seven North Korean refugees related their experiences in the totalitarian state in a speech contest organized by Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) Saturday.
Themed “A Woman Is a Flower,” speakers were given 10 minutes to talk about life concerning women in what is essentially a patriarchal society.
Comprised of two men and five women, the contestants spoke of the role women played in creating an underground “free market economy” despite government crackdowns.
TNKR held its sixth English speech event at Shin & Kim law firm in Myeong-dong. The law firm and The Korea Times sponsored the event.
“My mother would trade food and goods at a local market to secure money to send us to school,” one speaker said. She said many North Korean mothers were required to feed and take care of their family members.
“Even though my father was employed by the government, he could barely earn enough money to provide the basic necessities.”
Another issue was ignorance of human rights.
The contestants spoke about cases of physical, mental and sexual abuse of women in the North in honest detail.
“I had no idea about abuse. It’s only when I arrived in South Korea did I realize it is wrong,” top prize winner Young-mi said. “We were abused from a young age. There is no education about rights in the North.”
Bribery was also spoken of as a necessity, with all the contestants talking about their escapes involving the help of “brokers,” who bribe officials and organize host families in China.
TNKR is a Seoul-based NGO that provides free English language lessons for North Korean refugees. It has connected more than 300 North Korean refugees with over 620 volunteer tutors.
The group was established in 2013 under the leadership of co-founders Casey Lartigue Jr. and Lee Eun-koo.
When asked about the emphasis on English education, Lartigue said English is the international language of business and education.
“Due to business and education, it’s the best chance at getting ahead. Even many of the textbooks in Korean universities are in English,” Lartigue said.
Many contestants did not allow their pictures to be taken due to safety concerns for themselves and family members still in North Korea. They also refused to reveal their full names.
Visit facebook.com/TeachNorthKoreanRefugees for more information on TNKR.