Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center, compiled these statements from interviews with refugees.
Ran-hee, female, arrived in South Korea in 2017
If North Korea opens, then I should be able to see my parents. It is unbelievable; I can't trust anything from North Korea because I was deceived by it so many times. Everything about the leadership is propaganda, that's why I'm still upset at the images of South Koreans applauding Kim Jong-un.
North Korea will use that as proof that Kim Jong-un is loved in South Korea. The one good thing is that North Korea's elite is always focused on its survival, they don't care about others. If the elite has determined that it must change to survive, then unification will be possible.
Young-cheol, male, arrived in South Korea in 2010
I hope it won't just be a political show, there needs to be real policy change. At first I was afraid of Trump, but he may be the person who brought the Koreas together with his threats. This is an incredible moment in Korean history.
I am hopeful that North Korean refugees will have the opportunity to return to North Korea to visit their hometowns. At last, Koreans can be one. This can lead to many profound changes such as North Koreans being able to interact with the world and to have family reunions.
Sunghwan, male, arrived in South Korea in 2011
I love this summit. I am still so angry at the North Korean government because my grandfather, a pastor, was sent to a prison camp and my father was exiled to work in a coal mine. I had always had a difficult time. I really hated the government.
If unification happens, then I must be able to forgive North Korea. How can you have a conversation with someone willing to talk if you keep saying "I hate you?"
The people in North Korea have been deceived so many times, so even the ones who know about the summit don't believe North Korea will change. In my case, I believe that North Korea is only doing this because it is in a difficult situation.
I was opposed to Trump when he was elected, but it might have been necessary to have a madman to deal with North Korea. North Korea realized that Trump is different from Obama and Clinton, that he might negotiate at first, but if he got tired of it, that he might really try to destroy North Korea. Now I love Trump, he's a real man, he has made unification possible.
Ran-hee, female, arrived in South Korea in 2017
If North Korea opens, then I should be able to see my parents. It is unbelievable; I can't trust anything from North Korea because I was deceived by it so many times. Everything about the leadership is propaganda, that's why I'm still upset at the images of South Koreans applauding Kim Jong-un.
North Korea will use that as proof that Kim Jong-un is loved in South Korea. The one good thing is that North Korea's elite is always focused on its survival, they don't care about others. If the elite has determined that it must change to survive, then unification will be possible.
Young-cheol, male, arrived in South Korea in 2010
I hope it won't just be a political show, there needs to be real policy change. At first I was afraid of Trump, but he may be the person who brought the Koreas together with his threats. This is an incredible moment in Korean history.
I am hopeful that North Korean refugees will have the opportunity to return to North Korea to visit their hometowns. At last, Koreans can be one. This can lead to many profound changes such as North Koreans being able to interact with the world and to have family reunions.
Sunghwan, male, arrived in South Korea in 2011
I love this summit. I am still so angry at the North Korean government because my grandfather, a pastor, was sent to a prison camp and my father was exiled to work in a coal mine. I had always had a difficult time. I really hated the government.
If unification happens, then I must be able to forgive North Korea. How can you have a conversation with someone willing to talk if you keep saying "I hate you?"
The people in North Korea have been deceived so many times, so even the ones who know about the summit don't believe North Korea will change. In my case, I believe that North Korea is only doing this because it is in a difficult situation.
I was opposed to Trump when he was elected, but it might have been necessary to have a madman to deal with North Korea. North Korea realized that Trump is different from Obama and Clinton, that he might negotiate at first, but if he got tired of it, that he might really try to destroy North Korea. Now I love Trump, he's a real man, he has made unification possible.
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