0:00:00.984,0:00:04.507
When I was little, I thought my country[br]was the best on the planet.

0:00:05.150,0:00:08.111
And I grew up singing a song[br]called "Nothing To Envy."

0:00:08.984,0:00:10.682
And I was very proud.

0:00:11.080,0:00:14.605
In school, we spent a lot of time[br]studying the history of Kim Il-Sung,

0:00:14.629,0:00:17.704
but we never learned much[br]about the outside world,

0:00:18.981,0:00:22.925
except that America, South Korea,[br]Japan are the enemies.

0:00:23.806,0:00:27.195
Although I often wondered[br]about the outside world,

0:00:27.219,0:00:30.859
I thought I would spend[br]my entire life in North Korea,

0:00:30.883,0:00:33.267
until everything suddenly changed.

0:00:34.587,0:00:39.108
When I was seven years old,[br]I saw my first public execution.

0:00:39.584,0:00:42.200
But I thought my life[br]in North Korea was normal.

0:00:42.779,0:00:44.693
My family was not poor,

0:00:44.717,0:00:47.946
and myself, I had never[br]experienced hunger.

0:00:48.414,0:00:52.955
But one day, in 1995,[br]my mom brought home a letter

0:00:52.979,0:00:54.979
from a coworker's sister.

0:00:55.003,0:00:58.014
It read, "When you read this,

0:00:58.038,0:01:02.870
our five family members[br]will not exist in this world,

0:01:02.894,0:01:05.832
because we haven't eaten[br]for the past three weeks.

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We are lying on the floor together,

0:01:09.433,0:01:15.102
and our bodies are so weak,[br]we are waiting to die."

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I was so shocked.

0:01:21.608,0:01:26.084
This was the first time I heard[br]that people in my country were suffering.

0:01:28.171,0:01:31.000
Soon after, when I was walking[br]past a train station,

0:01:31.024,0:01:35.206
I saw something terrible that to this day[br]I can't erase from my memory.

0:01:36.381,0:01:39.377
A lifeless woman was lying on the ground,

0:01:39.401,0:01:42.566
while an emaciated child in her arms

0:01:42.590,0:01:45.825
just stared helplessly[br]at his mother's face.

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But nobody helped them,

0:01:49.422,0:01:54.363
because they were so focused on taking[br]care of themselves and their families.

0:01:56.021,0:01:59.616
A huge famine hit North Korea[br]in the mid-1990s.

0:02:00.085,0:02:04.766
Ultimately, more than a million[br]North Koreans died during the famine,

0:02:04.790,0:02:10.356
and many only survived by eating[br]grass, bugs and tree bark.

0:02:11.683,0:02:14.943
Power outages also became[br]more and more frequent,

0:02:14.967,0:02:19.382
so everything around me[br]was completely dark at night,

0:02:19.406,0:02:21.852
except for the sea of lights in China,

0:02:21.876,0:02:24.382
just across the river from my home.

0:02:24.406,0:02:28.628
I always wondered[br]why they had lights, but we didn't.

0:02:30.251,0:02:33.976
This is a satellite picture[br]showing North Korea at night,

0:02:34.000,0:02:35.521
compared to neighbors.

0:02:37.658,0:02:39.355
This is the Amnok River,

0:02:39.379,0:02:43.833
which serves as a part of the border[br]between North Korea and China.

0:02:44.434,0:02:48.549
As you can see, the river can be[br]very narrow at certain points,

0:02:48.573,0:02:51.444
allowing North Koreans to secretly cross.

0:02:53.047,0:02:54.412
But many die.

0:02:54.714,0:02:59.204
Sometimes, I saw dead bodies[br]floating down the river.

0:03:02.325,0:03:07.103
I can't reveal many details[br]about how I left North Korea,

0:03:07.127,0:03:11.265
but I only can say that[br]during the ugly years of the famine,

0:03:11.289,0:03:15.863
I was sent to China to live[br]with distant relatives.

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But I only thought that I would[br]be separated from my family

0:03:21.007,0:03:22.575
for a short time.

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I could have never imagined

0:03:24.539,0:03:27.784
that it would take 14 years[br]to live together.

0:03:29.038,0:03:33.062
In China, it was hard living[br]as a young girl without my family.

0:03:33.086,0:03:36.405
I had no idea what life[br]was going to be like

0:03:36.429,0:03:37.912
as a North Korean refugee.

0:03:38.476,0:03:42.069
But I soon learned it's not[br]only extremely difficult,

0:03:42.093,0:03:44.491
it's also very dangerous,

0:03:44.515,0:03:51.228
since North Korean refugees are considered[br]in China as illegal migrants.

0:03:52.162,0:03:56.733
So I was living in constant fear[br]that my identity could be revealed,

0:03:56.757,0:04:00.108
and I would be repatriated[br]to a horrible fate,

0:04:00.132,0:04:01.826
back in North Korea.

0:04:02.969,0:04:05.667
One day, my worst nightmare came true,

0:04:05.691,0:04:08.414
when I was caught by the Chinese police,

0:04:08.438,0:04:12.505
and brought to the police station[br]for interrogation.

0:04:12.529,0:04:16.187
Someone had accused me[br]of being North Korean,

0:04:16.211,0:04:19.592
so they tested my Chinese[br]language abilities,

0:04:19.616,0:04:22.162
and asked me tons of questions.

0:04:22.910,0:04:24.392
I was so scared.

0:04:25.352,0:04:27.487
I thought my heart was going to explode.

0:04:28.164,0:04:33.021
If anything seemed unnatural,[br]I could be imprisoned and repatriated.

0:04:33.997,0:04:35.735
I thought my life was over.

0:04:36.632,0:04:39.508
But I managed to control[br]all the emotions inside me,

0:04:39.532,0:04:41.277
and answer the questions.

0:04:41.880,0:04:43.638
After they finished questioning me,

0:04:43.662,0:04:46.087
one official said to another,

0:04:46.111,0:04:49.277
"This was a false report.[br]She's not North Korean."

0:04:50.013,0:04:52.823
And they let me go. It was a miracle.

0:04:54.243,0:04:58.426
Some North Koreans in China[br]seek asylum in foreign embassies.

0:04:59.213,0:05:02.681
But many can be caught[br]by the Chinese police,

0:05:02.705,0:05:03.965
and repatriated.

0:05:04.451,0:05:06.167
These girls were so lucky.

0:05:06.191,0:05:07.856
Even though they were caught,

0:05:07.880,0:05:11.587
they were eventually released,[br]after heavy international pressure.

0:05:12.799,0:05:15.926
These North Koreans were not so lucky.

0:05:15.950,0:05:19.948
Every year, countless North Koreans[br]are caught in China

0:05:19.972,0:05:22.543
and repatriated to North Korea,

0:05:22.567,0:05:27.746
where they can be tortured, imprisoned,[br]or publicly executed.

0:05:28.777,0:05:31.857
Even though I was[br]really fortunate to get out,

0:05:31.881,0:05:34.713
many other North Koreans[br]have not been so lucky.

0:05:35.150,0:05:38.716
It's tragic that North Koreans[br]have to hide their identities

0:05:38.740,0:05:41.981
and struggle so hard just to survive.

0:05:42.934,0:05:45.948
Even after learning a new[br]language and getting a job,

0:05:45.972,0:05:49.591
their whole world can be turned[br]upside down in an instant.

0:05:50.107,0:05:53.759
That's why, after 10 years[br]of hiding my identity,

0:05:53.783,0:05:57.115
I decided to risk going to South Korea.

0:05:57.964,0:06:00.922
And I started a new life yet again.

0:06:00.946,0:06:02.534
Settling down in South Korea

0:06:02.558,0:06:05.569
was a lot more challenging[br]than I had expected.

0:06:06.331,0:06:09.664
English was so important in South Korea,

0:06:09.688,0:06:12.251
so I had to start learning[br]my third language.

0:06:13.434,0:06:17.997
Also, I realized there was a wide gap[br]between North and South.

0:06:18.021,0:06:20.174
We are all Korean, but inside,

0:06:20.198,0:06:24.923
we have become very different,[br]due to 67 years of division.

0:06:25.931,0:06:28.911
I even went through an identity crisis.

0:06:29.669,0:06:32.308
Am I South Korean or North Korean?

0:06:32.959,0:06:35.430
Where am I from? Who am I?

0:06:36.229,0:06:40.955
Suddenly, there was no country[br]I could proudly call my own.

0:06:43.717,0:06:47.454
Even though adjusting to life[br]in South Korea was not easy,

0:06:47.478,0:06:51.779
I made a plan -- I started studying[br]for the university entrance exam.

0:06:52.323,0:06:56.061
Just as I was starting[br]to get used to my new life,

0:06:56.085,0:06:58.521
I received a shocking phone call.

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The North Korean authorities[br]intercepted some money

0:07:01.275,0:07:02.910
that I sent to my family,

0:07:02.934,0:07:07.956
and, as a punishment, my family[br]was going to be forcibly removed

0:07:07.980,0:07:10.773
to a desolate location in the countryside.

0:07:11.503,0:07:13.154
They had to get out quickly.

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So I started planning[br]how to help them escape.

0:07:17.599,0:07:21.105
North Koreans have to travel[br]incredible distances

0:07:21.129,0:07:22.883
on the path to freedom.

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It's almost impossible to cross the border

0:07:26.382,0:07:29.315
between North Korea and South Korea.

0:07:29.339,0:07:32.682
So, ironically, I took[br]a flight back to China

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and headed toward the North Korean border.

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Since my family couldn't speak Chinese,

0:07:39.545,0:07:44.394
I had to guide them somehow[br]through more than 2,000 miles

0:07:44.418,0:07:47.965
in China, and then into Southeast Asia.

0:07:48.743,0:07:50.837
The journey by bus took one week,

0:07:50.861,0:07:53.582
and we were almost caught several times.

0:07:54.201,0:08:00.336
One time, our bus was stopped[br]and boarded by a Chinese police officer.

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He took everyone's I.D. cards,

0:08:03.126,0:08:05.843
and he started asking them questions.

0:08:05.867,0:08:10.645
Since my family couldn't[br]understand Chinese,

0:08:10.669,0:08:13.205
I thought my family[br]was going to be arrested.

0:08:13.832,0:08:16.553
As the Chinese officer[br]approached my family,

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I impulsively stood up, and I told him

0:08:19.255,0:08:23.318
that these are deaf and dumb people[br]that I was chaperoning.

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He looked at me suspiciously,

0:08:26.132,0:08:29.104
but luckily, he believed me.

0:08:30.015,0:08:32.897
We made it all the way[br]to the border of Laos.

0:08:33.621,0:08:37.968
But I had to spend almost all my money

0:08:37.992,0:08:40.206
to bribe the border guards in Laos.

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But even after we got past the border,

0:08:43.351,0:08:48.278
my family was arrested and jailed[br]for illegal border crossing.

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After I paid the fine and bribe,

0:08:50.981,0:08:53.950
my family was released in one month.

0:08:54.570,0:08:58.552
But soon after, my family[br]was arrested and jailed again,

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in the capital of Laos.

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This was one of the lowest[br]points in my life.

0:09:05.571,0:09:10.758
I did everything to get[br]my family to freedom,

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and we came so close,

0:09:13.156,0:09:15.429
but my family was thrown in jail,

0:09:15.453,0:09:18.424
just a short distance[br]from the South Korean embassy.

0:09:19.297,0:09:22.053
I went back and forth[br]between the immigration office

0:09:22.077,0:09:23.955
and the police station,

0:09:23.979,0:09:26.892
desperately trying to get my family out.

0:09:26.916,0:09:30.599
but I didn't have enough money[br]to pay a bribe or fine anymore.

0:09:31.099,0:09:32.488
I lost all hope.

0:09:32.924,0:09:36.686
At that moment, I heard[br]one man's voice ask me,

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"What's wrong?"

0:09:37.847,0:09:42.795
I was so surprised that a total stranger[br]cared enough to ask.

0:09:43.502,0:09:45.907
In my broken English,[br]and with a dictionary,

0:09:45.931,0:09:49.861
I explained the situation,[br]and without hesitating,

0:09:49.885,0:09:52.132
the man went to the ATM,

0:09:52.156,0:09:54.909
and he paid the rest[br]of the money for my family,

0:09:54.933,0:09:58.002
and two other North Koreans[br]to get out of jail.

0:09:59.192,0:10:02.525
I thanked him with all my heart,[br]and I asked him,

0:10:02.549,0:10:04.225
"Why are you helping me?"

0:10:05.011,0:10:06.686
"I'm not helping you," he said.

0:10:07.384,0:10:09.479
"I'm helping the North Korean people."

0:10:10.321,0:10:14.157
I realized that this[br]was a symbolic moment in my life.

0:10:15.014,0:10:20.039
The kind stranger symbolized new hope[br]for me and the North Korean people,

0:10:20.063,0:10:21.531
when we needed it most.

0:10:22.014,0:10:24.864
And he showed me[br]that the kindness of strangers

0:10:24.888,0:10:27.868
and the support[br]of the international community

0:10:27.892,0:10:31.751
are truly the rays of hope[br]we North Korean people need.

0:10:33.077,0:10:35.284
Eventually, after our long journey,

0:10:35.308,0:10:38.482
my family and I were reunited[br]in South Korea.

0:10:39.045,0:10:41.990
But getting to freedom[br]is only half the battle.

0:10:42.577,0:10:46.053
Many North Koreans[br]are separated from their families,

0:10:46.077,0:10:48.637
and when they arrive in a new country,

0:10:48.661,0:10:51.172
they start with little or no money.

0:10:52.450,0:10:55.482
So we can benefit[br]from the international community

0:10:55.506,0:11:00.298
for education, English language training,[br]job training, and more.

0:11:01.068,0:11:02.885
We can also act as a bridge

0:11:02.909,0:11:06.552
between the people inside North Korea[br]and the outside world.

0:11:07.234,0:11:12.505
Because many of us stay in contact[br]with family members still inside,

0:11:12.529,0:11:14.673
and we send information and money

0:11:14.697,0:11:17.903
that is helping to change[br]North Korea from inside.

0:11:19.332,0:11:24.485
I've been so lucky, received[br]so much help and inspiration in my life,

0:11:24.509,0:11:27.730
so I want to help give[br]aspiring North Koreans

0:11:27.754,0:11:32.411
a chance to prosper[br]with international support.

0:11:33.561,0:11:36.866
I'm confident that you will see[br]more and more North Koreans

0:11:36.890,0:11:39.017
succeeding all over the world,

0:11:39.041,0:11:40.739
including the TED stage.

0:11:41.223,0:11:42.375
Thank you.

0:11:42.399,0:11:49.309
(Applause)