The Korea Times

Why I escaped from North Korea

Cherie Yang, a Special Ambassador to the nonprofit NGO Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR), was born in Hye Ryeng, North Korea. Through her employment at a resort near her hometown, she realized that the North Korean regime had been lying to its people. She fled North Korea in search for freedom, departing in a dramatic escape. Whereas more than 30,000 North Korean refugees have escaped to South Korea in the last two decades, Cherie is one of only about 200 North Korean refugees to immigrate directly to the United States since President George W. Bush signed the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004. One year ago, on October 28, 2017 at a TEDx Talk in London, she shared her harrowing journey in search of freedom. She granted permission to “Voices from the North” to print the text of her speech. She first delivered this speech in February 2017 when she won TNKR's 5th English Speech Contest. When You Can't Live and You Can't Leave:  Why I Escaped North KoreaBy Cherie YangImagine getting a dream job, but realizing it is a nightmare. You could quit, right? Most peopl

Oct 28, 2018By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Opinion

The reality of overseas North Korean workers

A number of North Koreans are granted permission to work abroad. One such North Korean refugee escaped while abroad, arriving in South Korea a few years ago. She told her story on October 17, 2018, to a delegation of Americans visiting South Korea. Here is an extended excerpt of her remarks, with identifying details and dates deleted, posted with her permission exclusively at Voices from the North. ― ED. Hi, my name is (name withheld), I am a student at Teach North Korean Refugees. Imagine being bent over in a hot factory for 14 hours a day with stomach problems and back pain. That's how I started my life as an overseas worker.Back in North Korea, I was a chef. One day, my North Korean supervisor told me I could make a lot more money working overseas. I believed her completely. So after learning how to sew, I applied for a job at a North Korean factory. After waiting for about a year, I was sent abroad to work.When I arrived, I worked 14 hours a day. Thankfully, after two weeks our schedule changed, except for short breaks and meal times. Then I worked non-stop for 10 hours between 7

Oct 20, 2018By Casey Lartigue Jr.

The reality of overseas North Korean workers

Opinion

INTERVIEW Don't be duped by double-faced North Korea

Jang Jin-sung, right, speaks at the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center in Seoul. / Courtesy of Casey Lartigue Jr.Jang Jin-sung, author of the best-selling book “Dear Leader: My Escape from North Korea,” was a psychological warfare officer with the North Korean regime before he made a dramatic escape from the country in 2004. He is a sought-after lecturer and analyst who has advised people and governments around the world about North Korea. He shared some of his thoughts about North Korea's recent diplomatic efforts and internal changes in an interview for the “Voices from the North” blog.Q: What do you think about Kim Jong-Un's recent overtures to global leaders?A: Kim Jong-Un is focused on external relationships in order to strengthen his internal position. To understand Kim Jong-Un's strategy, it is important to have a good understanding about the internal changes occurring and threats to his leadership because of the development of markets there. A lot of the focus is on the nuclear program and how that is threatening the world, but the mar

Oct 14, 2018By Casey Lartigue Jr.

[INTERVIEW] Don't be duped by double-faced North Korea

Opinion

Defectors respond to Kim Jong-un 'finger-heart' pose

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un makes a "finger-heart" for a photo while his wife Ri Sol-ju places her hand below the heart during the visit to Mount Paektu with President Moon Jae-in and South Korean officials, Sept. 20. Joint Press Corps.South Korea's Cheong Wa Dae, or “Blue House,” released photos showing North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un making a "finger-heart" while visiting Mount Paektu with President Moon Jae-in on the third day of the Pyongyang summit. North Korean refugees responded to the photo.Jihyun, who escaped North Korea in 1998 and again in 2004 after being repatriated, arrived in the UK in 2008That finger-heart means love. Does Kim Jong-un love his people? North Korea remains one of the most repressive, authoritarian states in the world, ruled for seven decades by the Kim family and the Workers' Party of Korea. During his fifth year in power, Kim Jong-Un continues to generate fearful obedience by using public executions, arbitrary detention and forced labor; tightening travel restrictions to prevent North Koreans from escaping and seeking refuge overseas;

Sep 29, 2018By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Defectors respond to Kim Jong-un 'finger-heart' pose

Opinion

VIDEO Unseen part of North Korea

Eunhee Park On August 25, Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) held its 8th English Language Speech Contest. Eunhee Park, a North Korean refugee who joined TNKR in 2015 speaking English at a basic level, won second prize in the contest, which was hosted by TNKR and the Shin and Kim Law Office, and sponsored by The Korea Times. Australian Gemma Haines was her mentor getting her prepared for this contest. Below is the text of Park’s remarks as prepared.******************Good afternoon everyone! My name is Eunhee Park. And I escaped from North Korea when I was 21 years old in 2012. Today I am going to tell you about the North Korea I’ve Lived ThroughAfter the inter-Korean summit and the North Korea-United States summit, North Korea and denuclearization have become important issues capturing the whole world’s attention.Through the internet,’ we learn about North Korean issues.What you all have seen in the media about Kim Jong-un, nuclear weapons, poverty and starvation are true.But there is part of North Korea that you don’t see.So today, I’d like t

Sep 23, 2018By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Opinion

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (3)

Geumhee, arrived in South Korea in 2014There are some North Korean women who are tricked into going to China, but in my case, I willingly went through human trafficking. My family was starving, we were outcasts in North Korean society. I was bought by a Chinese man with mental problems. I realized that I couldn't live with him, so I escaped with my new-born baby who was then sick.The escape was difficult, but I made it to South Korea. At first it was very difficult here; so many things were unfamiliar even though Korea has been divided for only 70 years. I knew my family's situation in North Korea had become even more difficult, so I was working and sending almost all of my money to North Korea. I became depressed for a while, but finally I got a nice job. Sometimes when people find out that I went through human trafficking, they ask if I regret it, but I don't. If I had stayed in North Korea, then my child would be a slave to the North Korean leaders. Also, I would have never learned what freedom meant. I don't mean to make freedom sound like it is perfect, because I have also learn

Sep 8, 2018By Casey Lartigue Jr.

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (3)

Opinion

Locked in a small room called North Korea

Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) English speech contest / Korea Times photo by John DunbarOn August 25, Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) held its 8th English Language Speech Contest. Julia, a North Korean refugee who joined TNKR in 2013, won first prize in the contest, which was hosted by TNKR and the Shin and Kim Law Office, and sponsored by The Korea Times. American Cody Smith coached Julia. Below is the text of her speech.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, taking the opportunity to show Jack the world outside. After I saw this movie, I thought that the North Koreans who are living in North Korea are just like little Jack who lived in that isolated room. North Korea is the most isolated and secretive country in the world,

Sep 2, 2018By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Locked in a small room called North Korea

Opinion

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

Jihyun, male, escaped to South Korea in 2007I 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 mind had already escaped North Korea. I was then in my last semester in college in North Korea, but I couldn't wait to graduate, I had to get out of North Korea.I am so glad I did. The amazing thing was libraries and book stores here. I couldn't believe how huge they were, how many choices I had. There were so many books that I had never heard of, and if I had stayed in North Korea I would still be unaware of them. There seemed to be an unlimited number of books. I read all of the time, I was enjoying the freedom of reading whatever I wanted. The biggest change that came over me is that I no longer thought in only 2 dimensions: right or wrong. If someone did something &ld

Aug 5, 2018By Casey Lartigue Jr.

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

Opinion

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

Eunhee Park with Thae Yong-ho. / Courtesy of TNKROn 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.Eunhee Park, female, escaped from North Korea in 2012I was so honored to meet Thae Yong-ho. Such a meeting would not have happened in North Korea. His position was so high in North Korea, my position was so low. I was so happy when I was listening because even though his speech was 99.9 percent in English, he used the word “ba kku,” a North Korean way of saying “back” when giving directions during his PowerPoint presentation.I already knew who he was, but I was still so surprised by his incredible lecture. His English is fluent so I thought that I would be able to understand everything, but sadly, I could only understand about 50 percent. Despite that, I was able to follow his speech because he explained things so logically, and he used his experience t

Jul 29, 2018By Casey Lartigue Jr.

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

Opinion

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

Geumjoo, female, arrived in South Korea in 2008After 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 situation. I was so focused on working that I forgot about everything; it was just work, work, work. I am having a great life here now. When I think back, I am amazed that I worked so hard, but now I am proud that I did it my own way. I can never forget that my father started getting sick before he escaped from North Korea. After a short time here, his condition got worse. If he had been in North Korea, he would have died after he got very sick. Despite the struggles, I know he was able to live and enjoy his life.Eunhye, female, arrived in 2017I have been here for a short time, so I still feel like I am a one-year-old baby. It has been difficult becau

Jul 14, 2018By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Casey Lartigue Jr.

Read more

Why I escaped from North Korea

The reality of overseas North Korean workers

INTERVIEW Don't be duped by double-faced North Korea

Defectors respond to Kim Jong-un 'finger-heart' pose

VIDEO Unseen part of North Korea

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (3)

Locked in a small room called North Korea

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

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

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

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