Taking photos with North Korean refugees (Part 3)

Courtesy of TNKR

Please, don't take my photo

The Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center asked 142 North Korean refugees how they felt about having their photos taken and their identities revealed online. Ninety-two (64.7 percent) North Korean refugees said they preferred not having their photos and identities revealed online. Fifty (35.3%) said they were not opposed in all situations or were fine with their photos and identities being revealed online. -- ED.

Eunjeong, female, escaped North Korea in 2014, arrived in South Korea in 2019

My English is so bad. Please don't let people know I am studying English now. After I arrived in South Korea I had surgery done on my eyes to fix a problem, so it is possible that I won't be as recognizable as before. Anyway, my mother is still in North Korea so I am sensitive to photos and being identified as a North Korean refugee. I don't want to do anything that could put her in danger.

Gaeyoung, female, escaped North Korea in 2009, arrived in South Korea in 2009

No photos. My family is still in North Korea, they warned me not to be public. They told me that North Korea tracks North Korean refugees who speak out. I escaped from North Korea and I want to leave it in my past. Another reason I want to avoid posting my photo is because I do business with people in China and I occasionally go there. Every once in a while, there's a rumor that a North Korean refugee who has visited China has been captured and sent back. Sometimes I know it isn't true, I heard the rumor about one of my friends, but then I called her and we had lunch the next day, but I can't be sure about every case. It is better for me to remain low profile so photos would not be a good idea for me.

Jeongnam, male, escaped North Korea in 2013, arrived in South Korea in 2014

Actually, I am okay with photos, but I must be realistic about my situation. I don't know where the photos will be used. Would it be okay if I hid part of my face? One of my friends who is not political had her photo included in a North Korea propaganda video. It is ironic because she isn't political or well-known, but her photo was posted in one of those videos and she was identified as being from North Korea. One of North Korea's agents or one of their spies here must have seen it and decided to use it. Another friend of mine was on one of those TV shows, she was also identified in one of those North Korea propaganda videos. After that, she closed down all of her social media and no longer mentions that she is from North Korea. After I saw what happened to my friends, I stopped allowing people to post my photo.

Seonya, female, escaped North Korea in 2008, arrived in South Korea in 2008

No photos. My son is in North Korea, I don't want to do anything to cause him trouble. I was doing business when I was North Korea, I had a chance to go to China. I never went back to North Korea. I heard they were looking for me, but I avoided contacting anyone for years and I am still very careful. So many North Koreans were escaping at that time, they may have given up trying to find me. I don't know, but it is better for me not to announce publicly who I am and where I am from.

Hakun, male, escaped North Korea in 2017, arrived in South Korea in 2017

Two years ago, I was marching around with North Korean soldiers, and now I am here in South Korea. I was a soldier in North Korea so I am sure they consider me the worst kind of traitor. My family is still in North Korea, I hope to live in silence and secrecy until I can help my family members escape. That means I cannot allow photos while I am going through this time trying to rescue family members. I am thankful to people who accept my explanation and situation without probing too much about what is going on.

Sookyung, female, escaped North Korea in 2010, arrived in South Korea in 2011

I don't want to be identified publicly as being from North Korea. At first, I didn't understand why some North Koreans were paranoid about being identified. We are now South Korean citizens, most of us weren't at a high level there so why should North Korea care? Then a friend of mine posted a photo of us online, and I received some messages from family reminding me not to be public. It could have been a coincidence but it worried me that maybe I was being too brave. After that, I told friends it was okay to show my face as long as they didn't mention North Korea, but I learned they would tell friends directly, then those friends could share my photo and identify me and I might never know. After that, I decided to avoid being identified as being from North Korea.

Name withheld and escape date withheld

No photos. Our journey was really dangerous. We were in the news because we escaped on a boat to South Korea. I am not interested in attention, I don't want anyone posting my photo.

The comments were collected by Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center. Lartigue was the 2017 winner of the "Social Contribution" Prize from the Hansarang Rural Cultural Foundation and was recently named the 2019 winner of a "Challenge Maker" Award from Challenge Korea. TNKR co-founder Eunkoo Lee translated the remarks of the refugees from Korean to English.