A North Korean defector's account of English speech contest

On Saturday November 3, The Hana Foundation hosted an English speech contest for North Korean refugee youths. Casey Lartigue Jr., a Korean Times columnist and blogger, was one of the judges. He asked James Lee, a North Korean refugee who helped prepare the contest, to share his thoughts for this blog. ― E.D.

Casey Lartigue Jr.

Saturday November 3 was a regular day for most people in the world, and it started that way for me too. I got up as usual, I got dressed. Then I headed out to be an assistant at the second English speech contest hosted by the Korea Hana Foundation, the government agency that assists North Korean refugees after they enter South Korean society.

My mission that day was to assist Casey Lartigue, one of the judges of the contest, and Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) volunteers who had helped the young North Korean refugees get prepared to speak at the contest. Twenty North Korean refugees between the ages of 13 to 20 minutes were each given up to five minutes to speak about reunification or their adjustment to South Korea.

I arrived early to help set things up, and was moved when I saw that most contestants had arrived even earlier and were rehearsing their speeches. They were focused on the texts of their speeches that they were expected to memorize, and then recite before an audience. I could feel they all hoped to win the contest.

To me, they were already all winners, just by entering the contest. Their stories don't have to be the glamorous. They all have something important to say about their lives in China or North Korea before they arrived in South Korea.

I am also from North Korea. I had a special feeling as I listened to their speeches, making me think back to my days when I was their age. It started off as a normal day, but that changed as I listened to their speeches.

When I was in high school, I was also an avid English learner. Studying English has been one of my favorite things to do since I arrived in South Korea. Based on how I was raised in North Korea, English is the main “enemy's” language. Now that I am here, and free, knowing English has allowed me to see the world.

They are starting at a young age, learning about the world as they live in freedom, unlike their peers still in North Korea. Their speeches were touching, I'm not sure that I would have been able to stand on stage like that when I was their age. Watching and listening to their speeches had me doing a self-portrait of my high school days, but what they drew that day was better than what I ever could have done.

They were brave and motivated; I wanted to thank them all for standing on stage, in front of many Koreans and foreigners to speak in English. Thanks to their coaches, the unsung heroes who helped them get prepared for the contest.

It seemed like an ordinary day, but it inspired me in so many ways.

Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center along with Eunkoo Lee, is the 2017 winner of the "Social Contribution" Prize from the Hansarang Rural Cultural Foundation and the 2017 winner of the Global Award from Challenge Korea.