The Korea Times

Suffering, South vs. North Korea (Part 2)

Eom Yeong-nam / Courtesy of Voices from the NorthEom Yeong-nam was a featured speaker at the May 15 Asia Regional Forum organized by Freedom Speakers International and sponsored by UniKorea. Below is an excerpt of his remarks. ― Ed.By Eom Yeong-namAs I mentioned in part 1 of my speech, I suffered in North Korea, and escaping was the only way to deal with it.When I came to South Korea for the first time, I felt like an alien. I was struggling with many challenges.The first suffering for me was English.Even though South and North Koreans use the same language; I couldn't figure out some Korean characters on apartment walls and street signs. “Computer cleaning”, “Prugio Apartment”, “Humansia Apartment.” I couldn't understand what in the hell those Korean words were.The second thing that caused me to suffer was the fact that I had to change my mindset from being passive to active.In North Korea I had to follow the regime's rules. Thinking was unnecessary and could even get you into trouble. So it was better and easier to just follow the rules in North

Jul 4, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Suffering, South vs. North Korea (Part 2)

Suffering, South vs. North Korea (Part 1)

Opinion

Suffering, South vs. North Korea (Part 1)

gettyimagesbankEom Yeong-nam was a featured speaker at the May 15 Asia Regional Forum organized by Freedom Speakers International and sponsored by UniKorea. Below is an excerpt of his remarks. ― Ed.By Eom Yeong-namWhat's the difference between suffering in oppression and suffering in freedom?In an oppressive country like North Korea, when you suffer, you don't have the opportunity to solve your problems. In a free country like South Korea, you may suffer, but you have the opportunity to overcome your problems.I hope after you hear my speech today that you will have a greater appreciation that you were born into freedom and have opportunities to enjoy a better life.Today I will discuss my own experience with suffering in both North and South Korea, and demonstrate the difference between suffering in oppression and suffering in freedom.I was born in North Korea ― I would like to use that as my example. As far as I know, North Korea has the worst human rights situation in the world. The result is that many people there suffer every day, but they have no way to overcome it as long as the

Jul 3, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Suffering, South vs. North Korea (Part 1)

Suffering, South vs. North Korea (Part 2)

Opinion

What does freedom mean to you?

Park Eun-hee was a featured speaker at the May 15, 2021 Asia Regional Forum organized by Freedom Speakers International and sponsored by UniKorea. Below is an excerpt of her remarks. ― Ed.By Park Eun-heePark Eun-hee / Courtesy of Voices from the NorthWhat does freedom mean to you? It's easy to ask that question, but extremely hard to answer if you think about it deeply.While many people are born into freedom, it must be taken by North Korean defectors. Having to risk my life to get to freedom makes me think deeply about the value of freedom and about the values I live by in that freedom.To explain how I grabbed my freedom, I will share two things with you that make me feel grateful.The first thing is that my defection made me who I am today. Second, I was mainly raised by my grandparents, they helped prepare me to be ready to grab my freedom.When I was five years old, my parents got divorced. My mother died after being in a mental hospital for 10 years, and my father moved on with a new family. I was moved back and forth between an orphanage and the homes of my dad and grandparents.A

Jun 19, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Opinion

Here's why I want to open a North Korean restaurant in Seoul

By Sharon JangNorth Korean refugee Sharon Jang, right, poses with Casey Lartigue, co-founder of Freedom Speakers International. She will have an online cooking demonstration on June 26. Courtesy of Voices from the NorthI grew up in a North Korean coal mining village near Hoeryong, North Hamgyeong Province.I lived there for 21 years until I escaped in search of freedom. Later this year, I will be celebrating my 10th year of freedom in South Korea.I am now living my second life.If I try hard, then I can do what I want, and I can go where I want to go, unlike when I was in North Korea.Even with freedom, however, there is one thing I can't do: I cannot visit my brother in North Korea, I cannot even have a meal with him.When I really miss my brother, I cook North Korean food that we ate together and think about our times together. Very often as I cook that food, I recall memories with my brother, I have thought about opening my own restaurant featuring the food from my hometown. It could be a way to comfort other North Korean refugees. It could give them a chance to have good memories abo

Jun 19, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Here's why I want to open a North Korean restaurant in Seoul

Opinion

Defector talks about struggle as woman in North Korea

In this February, 2019, file photo, Park Eun-hee, center, poses after winning a prize in the English Speech Contest for North Korean defectors in South Korea, at Shin and Kim Law Office in Seoul. Courtesy of Voices from the NorthPark Eun-hee, a North Korean refugee who will be a featured speaker at today's Asia Regional Freedom Conference, was recently interviewed for the upcoming issue of FSI Voice. Haley Son, who grew up in New York and currently attends Seoul Foreign School, conducted the interview and wrote the following article for “Voices from the North.” ― Ed.By Haley SonWomen in North Korea are routinely deprived of the basic freedom of expression, which is what ultimately persuaded North Korean refugee Park Eun-hee to leave her home and come to South Korea when she was 19 years old.The turning point for Ms. Park was when she was 17 years old, and her friend gave her a USB containing clips of South Korean dramas and American movies. Park recalled, “It was an eye-opening moment. In the movies, the women were very pretty and free to do as they please. They did

May 15, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Defector talks about struggle as woman in North Korea

Opinion

What I have learned about suffering after escaping North Korea

Eom Yeong-nam / Courtesy of Eom Yeong-namNorth Korean defector Eom Yeong-nam discussed some of the main points of a speech that he will present in full context on May 15th at the Asia Regional Conference hosted by Freedom Speakers International with support from UniKorea. ― Ed.By Eom Yeong-namI spent a decade in the North Korean army before being released in 2010. Shortly after that, I escaped from North Korea to South Korea, lived in Canada for two years, and earned a master's degree in public administration from Korea University.I struggled to find freedom after I escaped from North Korea.I didn't exactly know what freedom meant to me at that time.Nowadays, I can say that freedom can be used to overcome suffering.There are two different kinds of suffering. One, North Korean style of suffering. I had no idea how to overcome it.For example, I was physically and verbally attacked when I was in North Korea, and I also suffered from hunger.I couldn't solve this problem when I was in North Korea.Moreover, it was getting worse and worse. There were no human rights and no freedom.There isn

May 9, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.

What I have learned about suffering after escaping North Korea

Opinion

My journey from North Korea to 'the land of the free'

Courtesy of Evelyn JeongBy Evelyn JeongFreedom means everything in my life. That's why I escaped from North Korea. I escaped for freedom. Both a free mind and a free lifestyle are required to have freedom, where you can travel anywhere and where you can join any religion. Instead of obeying someone else's rules, you can follow your own rules. While society may say one thing, you can disagree and make your own path. Life is yours, no one else's, so own it. Freedom is also independence, where you can find your own boundaries and make your own experiences, and by doing so, you will have a diverse mindset. To be free of money, where being rich doesn't make you happy, although it could be helpful, but following dreams and making friends is the real source of happiness. This is how I see freedom.Most North Koreans choose to go to South Korea, but I wanted to go to America because I wanted to learn, study, and contribute to the democracy of the U.S. and live the American dream, as my mom strongly recommended. However, still stuck in Thailand, I was interviewed four times at the Bangkok refu

May 2, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.

My journey from North Korea to 'the land of the free'

Opinion

Ruling or fleeing North Korea's hell

People leave after paying their respects before a statue of Kim Il-sung, left, as North Korea marks the 109th birth anniversary of the late leader, known as the "Day of the Sun," at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, April 15. AFPBy Lee Seo-hyun North Korea is a poor country, but people who live in the capital live pretty well ― residents there are said to live in “Pyonghattan,” a combination of Pyongyang and Manhattan. When Pyonghattans learn about the outside world, they begin to face a moral dilemma: should they continue to live as part of the elite in the country, or take a chance to live in freedom? Pyonghattans are the wealthiest people in North Korea, but they may also be the most watched people in the world. No matter where Pyonghattans are, at their organizations, at work, at home, they are being watched, and they know it. Every word and move is watched, even if they cry hard enough for the dictators. A higher position means higher levels of surveillance. It's very normal for Pyonghattan residents to have their phones and their homes tapped. I remember my mom and I whisper

Apr 18, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Opinion

I was in a North Korean propaganda video

Bronze statues at the Grand Monument on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea / gettyimagesbankBy Cherie YangA few years ago, I became a regular guest on a talk show about North Korea called the “Moranbong Club.” It is an entertainment show, so I didn't have to talk about my personal story. It was fun until everything got serious when another panelist on the TV show was sent back to North Korea.The North Korean regime had apparently kidnapped her and taken her back to North Korea. She was spotted later on North Korea's state-run TV denouncing the people of South Korea.North Korea showed footage from the show where I appeared as a panelist.My mom saw my face was on North Korean TV. She begged me not to talk about North Korea, because we still have relatives living there.As a result, I abruptly pulled the plug on my TV career.There are two main reasons that I am now starting a YouTube channel.One, I have the support of my family.My mom and sister have changed. They now support me speaking out publicly. One, my grandmother passed away, but my mother couldn't even attend the f

Apr 10, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.

I was in a North Korean propaganda video

Opinion

When I escaped to South Korea, I felt guilt

GettyimagesbankPark Sung-ae is a North Korean refugee who escaped to South Korea in 2008. She recently graduated from college, majoring in journalism and new media. Here's an excerpt from an interview she had recently with the Freedom International Speakers (FSI) in Seoul. ― Ed.By Park Sung-aeFSI: What do you think about Korean reunification?Park: When I was a university student, I couldn't understand why South Koreans were against reunification. However, after living in South Korea for more than 10 years, I can understand that there are various reasons to be opposed to it.It started with a documentary about the Korean War. A person in the documentary, Yoo Bok-ja, said when her mother was pregnant with her, that her father was stabbed to death with a spear by a North Korean soldier. There are people still alive who lost their parents, siblings and friends during the war. They still have sadness they couldn't get over. It's hard for them to like North Koreans and reunification. There are others who have never been to nor experienced North Korea. They are not even familiar with North K

Mar 21, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.

When I escaped to South Korea, I felt guilt

North Korean defectors talk about escape, new life in South in English

Casey Lartigue Jr.

Read more

Suffering, South vs. North Korea (Part 2)

Suffering, South vs. North Korea (Part 1)

What does freedom mean to you?

Here's why I want to open a North Korean restaurant in Seoul

Defector talks about struggle as woman in North Korea

What I have learned about suffering after escaping North Korea

My journey from North Korea to 'the land of the free'

Ruling or fleeing North Korea's hell

I was in a North Korean propaganda video

When I escaped to South Korea, I felt guilt

Top 5 stories