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Mon, September 25, 2023 | 22:19

Defectors respond to Kim Jong-un 'finger-heart' pose

Defectors respond to Kim Jong-un 'finger-heart' pose

South Korea's Cheong Wa Dae, or “Blue House,” released photos showing North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un making a "finger-heart" while visiting Mount Paektu with President Moon Jae-in on the third day of the Pyongyang summit. North Korean refugees responded to the photo.

2018-09-29 10:15

Unseen part of North Korea

Unseen part of North Korea

Today I am going to tell you about my own experiences. First of all, what was my daily life like in North Korea?

2018-09-23 10:05

The importance of North Korean refugees learning English

The importance of North Korean refugees learning English

Thae Yong-ho, former deputy ambassador of North Korea to the United Kingdom before defecting with his family to South Korea in 2016, was the featured speaker at a Teach North Korean Refugees forum on July 22. Near the end of the forum, he praised TNKR, discussed that he had learned the importance of North Korean refugees learning English, and mentioned the importance of offer...

2018-09-16 13:51

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (3)

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (3)

There are some North Korean women who are tricked into going to China, but in my case, I willingly went through human trafficking. My family was starving, we were outcasts in North Korean society. I was bought by a Chinese man with mental problems. I realized that I couldn't live with him, so I escaped with my new-born baby who was then sick.

2018-09-08 10:38

Locked in a small room called North Korea

Locked in a small room called North Korea

There is a movie called “Room.” In this movie, a woman named Ma was kidnapped by a vicious stranger when she was a teenager. In the interim, Ma has given birth to a son, Jack. The two of them lived in a 10 by 10 room. For Ma, the room was a prison, but for Jack, “Room” is an entire world that is the only life Jack has known. Ma formulated a plan to escape from the?room, takin...

2018-09-02 13:59

Voices from the North

Voices from the North

Three years ago, when Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) held its second English speech contest featuring North Korean refugees, I reminded the audience of the Aesop fable "The Man and the Lion."

2018-08-25 10:11

Why North Korean defectors learn English (6)

Why North Korean defectors learn English (6)

My parents had made the decision to escape from North Korea, and they convinced me that I should join them. My husband resisted, I was worried that he might report me so finally I left without letting him know. I didn't know exactly where I was headed, I just trusted my parents. It took me some time to appreciate freedom here. At first the quality of life didn't feel that dif...

2018-08-11 11:42

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (2)

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (2)

I hear from other North Korean refugees that they were influenced by foreign TV shows or movies, but in my case, it was reading a philosophy book from China. It opened my mind so much; I was a different person after that. For the first time, I began engaging in critical thinking after I read the chapter about Plato. I continued to pretend that I believed everything, but my mi...

2018-08-05 13:20

Unthinkable in North Korea: Ordinary and elite defectors mingle in Seoul

Unthinkable in North Korea: Ordinary and elite defectors mingle in Seoul

On July 22, Teach North Korean Refugees (TNKR) held a special forum with Thae Yong-ho, the former North Korean diplomat who escaped to South Korea in 2016. In attendance were four students studying at TNKR. Two of them gave the following responses to meeting Thae.

2018-07-29 14:52

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (1)

'I have arrived in South Korea. Now what?' (1)

After I arrived in South Korea, I sometimes thought about returning to North Korea. That would be like escaping to a torture room, so I never thought about it seriously. I really struggled when I first arrived here. The government was trying to offer me so many benefits, but I really wanted to make my own way. I was desperate about trying to find a job because of my unstable ...

2018-07-14 10:21

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