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Casey Lartigue Jr.

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Casey Lartigue Jr. is co-founder of Freedom Speakers International, a Seoul Honorary Citizen, and co-author of Greenlight to Freedom.

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My experience of teaching English to North Korean defectors

GettyimagesbankVoices from the North typically features the voices of North Korean refugees, but this week, we will hear from two people who are teaching North Korean refugee adolescents in a partnership between Freedom Speakers International and the U.S. Embassy of South Korea. ― Ed.By Kim Hyun-hui (Jenny)Working with Freedom Speakers International (FSI) and the U.S. Embassy has been one of the best experiences I have ever had. As someone for whom English was not my first language, learning to speak English was a challenge for me, too. When I was learning English I received a lot of help from many people both in Korea and the United States and learned tips and tricks that helped me learn many words and phrases. I always told myself I wanted to give the same help to people who are studying English. Therefore, teaching the students in the Access Program was an honor for me.At first, it was tough trying to teach a large class with students who have different levels and understanding of English due to their age differences. However, I was able to learn what each student needed help with

Mar 6, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.
My experience of teaching English to North Korean defectors
Opinion

My mother was tortured by North Korean authorities

GettyimagesbankLee Yul-seong is a North Korean refugee who graduated from high school in South Korea earlier this month. He delivered the speech at the first Freedom Speakers International/Teach North Korean Refugees English speech contest on Feb. 19, 2021, in Seoul. To get prepared for the contest, he was mentored by Jiwon Hyung, a student at Mercersburg Academy and a member of the TNKR Global High School Union. ― Ed.By Lee Yul-seongI defected from North Korea in May of 2017 and arrived in South Korea in October of the same year. When I was younger, I learned about the childhoods of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jung-Il from school and from my parents. When I received snacks on Kim Il-sung's and Kim Jung-Il's birthdays, I thought I was the happiest child in the world as I paid my respects to their portraits. That's how brainwashed I was.At school, the teachers told us that our father, a general, sacrificed sleep and barely staved off his hunger with tiny, unsatisfying rice balls in order to serve us. Every time I heard this story, I swore to myself that I would study so hard that I could be a

Feb 27, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.
My mother was tortured by North Korean authorities
Opinion

The faces of North Koreans

Lee Jeong-cheol (front center) speaks at the Freedom Speakers International (FSI) office on Jan. 29, 2021, at an online conference organized by the Master of Human Rights Students Association at Manitoba University in Winnipeg, Canada. Courtesy of FSIBy Lee Jeong-cheolWhen you think about North Koreans, what image comes to mind?I would guess that most people would say Kim Jong-un or probably North Korea's nuclear weapons.But I think of North Koreans who have been suffering in North Korea. I think about their sad-looking faces. I have lived in South Korea for 14 years and one of the things people used to tell me was, “Jeongcheol, smile!” Whenever I took pictures with friends, they would remind me that I needed to smile.I would tell them, “I am smiling.”However, later, I realized that I was not smiling. My face looked depressed. When I was in North Korea, there was nothing much that made me smile. My greatest memory of childhood was about hunger. I think I was always hungry when I was in North Korea. I have learned to try to smile. When I would wake up in the mo

Feb 21, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.
The faces of North Koreans
Opinion

Smile: A North Korean refugee's dream

GettyimagesbankYena escaped to South Korea in 2011. Here is an excerpt of her remarks from an interview (in English and Korean) with her identifying details changed, and posted with her permission exclusively at Voices from the North. ― ED.By YenaWhen I was in North Korea, I never went to school. When I tell people that, they think I mean that I rarely went to school, or that perhaps I dropped out of school. It takes some time for them to understand that I mean: I never went to school in North Korea, not even once.My family was struggling to eat and survive. My aunt is the one who raised me, but my mother later rescued me from North Korea. I was so happy to have arrived here, but my introduction was so scary when I was interviewed by the National Intelligence Service. The female inspector was nice, her voice was gentle, but she was strict and watching me closely. She asked me so many questions, I could see that she was an expert about North Korea, she knew more about it than I did.Her job was to check that I wasn't a spy. I had a chance to talk with my mother on the phone,

Feb 13, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.
Smile: A North Korean refugee's dream
Opinion

I escaped from North Korea thanks to the foreign media

Ju Chan-yang (front center) speaking at the Freedom Speakers International office on Jan. 29, 2021, at an online conference organized by the Master of Human Rights Students Association at Manitoba University in Winnipeg, Canada. Photo courtesy of Freedom Speakers InternationalBy Ju Chan-yangThere once was a nine-year-old girl who had no idea that she would ever meet you. That's because she was born in North Korea. If not for her father's decisions, she would not be here today talking to you, she would still be a prisoner of North Korea.I don't know what you were doing at the age of nine, but I know what I was doing. At that time, my father began to prepare me to escape to freedom. I made it to freedom because of my father and foreign media. Can you imagine, a nine-year old girl getting ready to risk her life to get to freedom? Looking back, I can see how well prepared my father was.To make sure I grew up as an open-minded person, my father introduced me to foreign radio. In North Korea, that was a criminal act. I was listening to “FEBC Christian Broadcasting,” “Soun

Feb 6, 2021By Casey Lartigue Jr.
I escaped from North Korea thanks to the foreign media
Opinion

Escape from North Korea: My dreams as a woman came true in South

North Korean refugee Park Eun-hee was a featured speaker at the 2020 Oslo Freedom Forum held online Sept. 24-25. She granted permission to “Voices from the North” to share the text and video of her speech.―EDby Park Eun-heeHave you ever risked your life to achieve your dream? My dream was to walk the streets of my hometown freely wearing a pretty dress and earrings, and to express my own voice against injustice. For this dream of freedom, I risked my life at a young age and escaped from North Korea to start my new life. When people think of North Korea, one might think of a dictator obsessed with food while people die in the streets due to hunger. One might also think of North Korea's nuclear weapons causing tension in the Korean peninsula. But I'd like everyone to know that there is so much more to my former homeland, North Korea. There is another aspect of my former homeland. I was born in Wonsan on the east coast of North Korea. I grew up in a broken family. My parents divorced when I was five and my mother suffered from mental health issues. Both my parents died when

Oct 10, 2020By Casey Lartigue Jr.
Escape from North Korea: My dreams as a woman came true in South
Opinion

Escape from North Korea: 'I'm free because of movies and English'

GettyimagesbankFor safety reasons, some important information about the author, including her name, was altered. ― ED.By Su-jinEscaped from North Korea in 2006, arrived in South Korea in 2007 (repatriated from China in 2002 and 2004).I attempted my first escape from North Korea after I began to learn about the outside world when I was in high school. I had some friends in North Korea who would share movies from South Korea and America. My mind was moved by what I had seen. I couldn't wait to get out of North Korea. I dreamed of escaping, but I was also terrified. It seemed it would be easier to fly to the moon.The first time I tried to escape, I was captured quickly. The second time, I was in China for a few weeks, but I was captured again when someone informed the Chinese police about me. Looking back, I am not surprised that I was captured so easily both times. I was young, naive and just ready to escape, hoping for a miracle. By the third attempt, I was much more mature and carefully planned things; I was paranoid rather than hopeful.My early years in South Korea were fantastic, b

Sep 19, 2020By Casey Lartigue Jr.
Escape from North Korea: 'I'm free because of movies and English'
Opinion

In order to graduate (Part 2)

Casey Lartigue Jr. and Eunmi ParkBy Casey Lartigue Jr.Yeonmi Park was already on the way to becoming a fluent English learner and public speaker when her sister Eunmi Park joined her at the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center (TNKR) in May 2014. I had heard about Eunmi so many times I felt I was meeting a mythical figure.Eunmi started at the ABC level, but clearly she was not going to stay there. If she had fears or doubts about learning English, she only had to look at her sister freely conversing and giving speeches in English.One night the three of us met, Yeonmi and I were discussing an upcoming podcast. Eunmi was memorizing English words. As I was always happy to do, I recorded Eunmi's vocabulary list and sentence patterns for her to study later. I was organizing an event at which Yeonmi would be one of the featured speakers. I forgot how it happened, but suddenly Eunmi was going to join as a speaker. We did not announce it publicly.Eunmi gave a speech in Korean in July 2014, the first of two speeches she gave at events I organized. She had a great time, but a sh

May 24, 2020By Casey Lartigue Jr.
In order to graduate (Part 2)
Opinion

In order to graduate (Part 1)

Casey Lartigue Jr. and Yeonmi ParkBy Casey Lartigue Jr.Two North Korean refugee sisters graduated from college this past February, one in New York City, the other in South Korea. Their paths in life diverged 13 years ago when they were separated during the chaos of escaping from North Korea.The younger sister who graduated in New York City is now a public speaker and author. She gained international recognition with a speech that reportedly has been viewed more than 80 million times. The older sister who graduated in South Korea was recently hired as an elementary school teacher, teaching far fewer South Korean children.Both sisters studied in a non-profit I co-founded in 2013. The younger sister, Yeonmi Park, author of the book “In Order to Live,” studied English intensively during 2013-14 before her harrowing speech grabbed international attention. We worked together closely during 2014, on a regular podcast as well and she became the first North Korean refugee ambassador of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center (TNKR). I still remember the moment she

May 24, 2020By Casey Lartigue Jr.
In order to graduate (Part 1)
Opinion

Escape from China: Former North Korean restaurant worker tells her story

Twelve North Korean restaurant workers and their manager arrive at Incheon International Airport on April 8, 2016. / Korea Times fileIn April 2016, a week before the National Assembly elections, 12 North Korean restaurant workers and their manager escaped from China in what South Korean government officials called an “unprecedented mass defection.” That was the beginning of the controversy, as North Korea and some human rights organizations in South Korea charged it was a “kidnapping” or fabricated for political reasons before the election. Last year, I interviewed one of the former restaurant workers. Specific information about her will be withheld to protect her identify. TNKR co-founder Eunkoo Lee translated her remarks from Korean to English, then we reviewed the text with her again to confirm accuracy.By Casey Lartigue Jr.Casey: The big question that so many have been asking: Did everyone want to escape?A: It seems like a clear question, but the answer isn't clear. Not all employees working at the Chinese restaurant wanted to come to South Korea. The cont

Apr 18, 2020By Casey Lartigue Jr.
Escape from China: Former North Korean restaurant worker tells her story
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