WEBVTT 00:00:00.357 --> 00:00:01.708 When I was little, 00:00:01.708 --> 00:00:05.070 I thought my country was the best on the planet, 00:00:05.070 --> 00:00:08.445 and I grew up singing a song called "Nothing To Envy." 00:00:08.445 --> 00:00:11.080 And I was very proud. 00:00:11.080 --> 00:00:12.868 In school, we spent a lot of time 00:00:12.868 --> 00:00:14.629 studying the history of Kim Il-Sung, 00:00:14.629 --> 00:00:18.571 but we never learned much about the outside world, 00:00:18.571 --> 00:00:23.521 except that America, South Korea, Japan are the enemies. 00:00:23.521 --> 00:00:26.735 Although I often wondered about the outside world, 00:00:26.735 --> 00:00:30.883 I thought I would spend my entire life in North Korea, 00:00:30.883 --> 00:00:34.587 until everything suddenly changed. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:34.587 --> 00:00:39.347 When I was seven years old, I saw my first public execution, 00:00:39.347 --> 00:00:42.605 but I thought my life in North Korea was normal. 00:00:42.605 --> 00:00:44.717 My family was not poor, 00:00:44.717 --> 00:00:48.250 and myself, I had never experienced hunger. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:48.250 --> 00:00:52.753 But one day, in 1995, my mom brought home a letter 00:00:52.753 --> 00:00:54.816 from a coworker's sister. 00:00:54.816 --> 00:00:59.950 It read, "When you read this, all five family members 00:00:59.950 --> 00:01:02.690 will not exist in this world, 00:01:02.690 --> 00:01:06.841 because we haven't eaten for the past two weeks. 00:01:06.841 --> 00:01:09.313 We are lying on the floor together, 00:01:09.313 --> 00:01:18.024 and our bodies are so weak we are ready to die." NOTE Paragraph 00:01:18.024 --> 00:01:21.331 I was so shocked. 00:01:21.331 --> 00:01:23.477 This was the first time I heard 00:01:23.477 --> 00:01:27.714 that people in my country were suffering. 00:01:27.714 --> 00:01:31.024 Soon after, when I was walking past a train station, 00:01:31.024 --> 00:01:32.409 I saw something terrible 00:01:32.409 --> 00:01:36.233 that I can't erase from my memory. 00:01:36.233 --> 00:01:39.401 A lifeless woman was lying on the ground, 00:01:39.401 --> 00:01:42.590 while an emaciated child in her arms 00:01:42.590 --> 00:01:47.000 just stared helplessly at his mother's face. 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:51.240 But nobody helped them, because they were so focused 00:01:51.240 --> 00:01:55.865 on taking care of themselves and their families. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:55.865 --> 00:01:59.982 A huge famine hit North Korea in the mid-1990s. 00:01:59.982 --> 00:02:02.717 Ultimately, more than a million North Koreans 00:02:02.717 --> 00:02:06.034 died during the famine, and many only survived 00:02:06.034 --> 00:02:11.683 by eating grass, bugs and tree bark. 00:02:11.683 --> 00:02:14.967 Power outages also became more and more frequent, 00:02:14.967 --> 00:02:19.324 so everything around me was completely dark at night 00:02:19.324 --> 00:02:21.876 except for the sea of lights in China, 00:02:21.876 --> 00:02:24.356 just across the river from my home. 00:02:24.356 --> 00:02:29.680 I always wondered why they had lights but we didn't. 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:34.024 This is a satellite picture showing North Korea at night 00:02:34.024 --> 00:02:37.436 compared to neighbors. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:37.436 --> 00:02:39.379 This is the Amrok River, 00:02:39.379 --> 00:02:41.750 which serves as a part of the border 00:02:41.750 --> 00:02:44.434 between North Korea and China. 00:02:44.434 --> 00:02:46.898 As you can see, the river can be very narrow 00:02:46.898 --> 00:02:52.894 at certain points, allowing North Koreans to secretly cross. 00:02:52.894 --> 00:02:54.518 But many die. 00:02:54.518 --> 00:03:01.984 Sometimes, I saw dead bodies floating down the river. 00:03:01.984 --> 00:03:06.924 I can't reveal many details [about] how I left North Korea, 00:03:06.924 --> 00:03:11.187 but I only can say that during the ugly years of the famine 00:03:11.187 --> 00:03:16.490 I was sent to China to live with distant relatives. 00:03:16.490 --> 00:03:18.190 But I only thought 00:03:18.190 --> 00:03:22.477 that I would be separated from my family for a short time. 00:03:22.477 --> 00:03:24.169 I could have never imagined 00:03:24.169 --> 00:03:28.662 that it would take 14 years to live together. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:28.662 --> 00:03:33.086 In China, it was hard living as a young girl without my family. 00:03:33.086 --> 00:03:36.429 I had no idea what life was going to be like 00:03:36.429 --> 00:03:38.266 as a North Korean refugee, 00:03:38.266 --> 00:03:41.802 but I soon learned it's not only extremely difficult, 00:03:41.802 --> 00:03:44.449 it's also very dangerous, 00:03:44.449 --> 00:03:49.339 since North Korean refugees are considered in China 00:03:49.339 --> 00:03:52.178 as illegal migrants. 00:03:52.178 --> 00:03:54.452 So I was living in constant fear 00:03:54.452 --> 00:03:56.995 that my identity could be revealed, 00:03:56.995 --> 00:04:00.132 and I would be repatriated to a horrible fate 00:04:00.132 --> 00:04:02.888 back in North Korea. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:02.888 --> 00:04:05.600 One day, my worst nightmare came true, 00:04:05.600 --> 00:04:08.438 when I was caught by the Chinese police 00:04:08.438 --> 00:04:12.437 and brought to the police station for interrogation. 00:04:12.437 --> 00:04:15.875 Someone had accused me of being North Korean, 00:04:15.875 --> 00:04:19.560 so they tested my Chinese language abilities 00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:22.883 and asked me tons of questions. 00:04:22.883 --> 00:04:25.156 I was so scared, 00:04:25.156 --> 00:04:28.164 I thought my heart was going to explode. 00:04:28.164 --> 00:04:31.662 If anything seemed unnatural, I could be imprisoned 00:04:31.662 --> 00:04:33.846 and repatriated. 00:04:33.846 --> 00:04:36.293 I thought my life was over, 00:04:36.293 --> 00:04:39.532 but I managed to control all the emotions inside me 00:04:39.532 --> 00:04:41.490 and answer the questions. 00:04:41.490 --> 00:04:43.662 After they finished questioning me, 00:04:43.662 --> 00:04:45.787 one official said to another, 00:04:45.787 --> 00:04:47.865 "This was a false report. 00:04:47.865 --> 00:04:49.797 She's not North Korean." 00:04:49.797 --> 00:04:54.019 And they let me go. It was a miracle. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:54.019 --> 00:04:56.890 Some North Koreans in China seek asylum 00:04:56.890 --> 00:04:59.213 in foreign embassies, 00:04:59.213 --> 00:05:02.529 but many can be caught by the Chinese police 00:05:02.529 --> 00:05:03.989 and repatriated. 00:05:03.989 --> 00:05:06.166 These girls were so lucky. 00:05:06.166 --> 00:05:07.782 Even though they were caught, 00:05:07.782 --> 00:05:09.136 they were eventually released 00:05:09.136 --> 00:05:12.484 after heavy international pressure. 00:05:12.484 --> 00:05:15.825 These North Koreans were not so lucky. 00:05:15.825 --> 00:05:19.740 Every year, countless North Koreans are caught in China 00:05:19.740 --> 00:05:22.452 and repatriated to North Korea, 00:05:22.452 --> 00:05:25.986 where they can be tortured, imprisoned 00:05:25.986 --> 00:05:28.777 or publicly executed. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:28.777 --> 00:05:31.881 Even though I was really fortunate to get out, 00:05:31.881 --> 00:05:34.939 many other North Koreans have not been so lucky. 00:05:34.939 --> 00:05:38.740 It's tragic that North Koreans have to hide their identities 00:05:38.740 --> 00:05:42.934 and struggle so hard just to survive. 00:05:42.934 --> 00:05:45.972 Even after learning a new language and getting a job, 00:05:45.972 --> 00:05:49.853 their whole world can be turned upside down in an instant. 00:05:49.853 --> 00:05:53.589 That's why, after 10 years of hiding my identity, 00:05:53.589 --> 00:05:57.871 I decided to risk going to South Korea, 00:05:57.871 --> 00:06:00.946 and I started a new life yet again. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:00.946 --> 00:06:04.089 Settling down in South Korea was a lot more challenging 00:06:04.089 --> 00:06:06.149 than I had expected. 00:06:06.149 --> 00:06:09.578 English was so important in South Korea, 00:06:09.578 --> 00:06:12.861 so I had to start learning my third language. 00:06:12.861 --> 00:06:16.038 Also, I realized there was a wide gap 00:06:16.038 --> 00:06:18.021 between North and South. 00:06:18.021 --> 00:06:20.198 We are all Korean, but inside, 00:06:20.198 --> 00:06:22.038 we have become very different 00:06:22.038 --> 00:06:25.630 due to 67 years of division. 00:06:25.630 --> 00:06:29.669 I even went through an identity crisis. 00:06:29.669 --> 00:06:32.909 Am I South Korean or North Korean? 00:06:32.909 --> 00:06:35.868 Where am I from? Who am I? 00:06:35.868 --> 00:06:37.904 Suddenly, there was no country 00:06:37.904 --> 00:06:43.315 I could proudly call my own. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:43.315 --> 00:06:47.306 Even though adjusting to life in South Korea was not easy, 00:06:47.306 --> 00:06:48.482 I made a plan. 00:06:48.482 --> 00:06:51.935 I started studying for the university entrance exam. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:51.935 --> 00:06:55.950 Just as I was starting to get used to my new life, 00:06:55.950 --> 00:06:58.493 I received a shocking phone call. 00:06:58.493 --> 00:06:59.914 The North Korean authorities 00:06:59.914 --> 00:07:02.626 intercepted some money that I sent to my family, 00:07:02.626 --> 00:07:05.358 and, as a punishment, my family was going 00:07:05.358 --> 00:07:07.695 to be forcibly removed 00:07:07.695 --> 00:07:11.163 to a desolate location in the countryside. 00:07:11.163 --> 00:07:13.883 They had to get out quickly, 00:07:13.883 --> 00:07:17.448 so I started planning how to help them escape. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:17.448 --> 00:07:20.930 North Koreans have to travel incredible distances 00:07:20.930 --> 00:07:23.559 on the path to freedom. 00:07:23.559 --> 00:07:26.382 It's almost impossible to cross the border 00:07:26.382 --> 00:07:29.240 between North Korea and South Korea, 00:07:29.240 --> 00:07:32.706 so, ironically, I took a flight back to China 00:07:32.706 --> 00:07:36.328 and I headed toward the North Korean border. 00:07:36.328 --> 00:07:39.192 Since my family couldn't speak Chinese, 00:07:39.192 --> 00:07:41.408 I had to guide them, 00:07:41.408 --> 00:07:45.211 somehow, through more than 2,000 miles in China 00:07:45.211 --> 00:07:48.474 and then into Southeast Asia. 00:07:48.474 --> 00:07:51.016 The journey by bus took one week, 00:07:51.016 --> 00:07:54.031 and we were almost caught several times. 00:07:54.031 --> 00:07:56.672 One time, our bus was stopped 00:07:56.672 --> 00:08:01.131 and boarded by a Chinese police officer. 00:08:01.131 --> 00:08:03.234 He took everyone's I.D. cards, 00:08:03.234 --> 00:08:05.867 and he started asking them questions. 00:08:05.867 --> 00:08:09.462 Since my family couldn't understand Chinese, 00:08:09.462 --> 00:08:13.596 I thought my family was going to be arrested. 00:08:13.596 --> 00:08:16.577 As the Chinese officer approached my family, 00:08:16.577 --> 00:08:19.086 I impulsively stood up, and I told him 00:08:19.086 --> 00:08:21.753 that these are deaf and dumb people 00:08:21.753 --> 00:08:23.958 that I was chaperoning. 00:08:23.958 --> 00:08:26.132 He looked at me suspiciously, 00:08:26.132 --> 00:08:30.016 but luckily he believed me. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:30.016 --> 00:08:33.127 We made it all the way to the border of Laos, 00:08:33.127 --> 00:08:37.754 but I had to spend almost all my money 00:08:37.754 --> 00:08:40.498 to bribe the border guards in Laos. 00:08:40.498 --> 00:08:43.351 But even after we got past the border, 00:08:43.351 --> 00:08:46.256 my family was arrested and jailed 00:08:46.256 --> 00:08:48.765 for illegal border crossing. 00:08:48.765 --> 00:08:50.981 After I paid the fine and bribe, 00:08:50.981 --> 00:08:54.570 my family was released in one month, 00:08:54.570 --> 00:08:58.386 but soon after, my family was arrested and jailed again 00:08:58.386 --> 00:09:00.825 in the capital of Laos. NOTE Paragraph 00:09:00.825 --> 00:09:05.393 This was one of the lowest points in my life. 00:09:05.393 --> 00:09:10.782 I did everything to get my family to freedom, 00:09:10.782 --> 00:09:13.156 and we came so close, 00:09:13.156 --> 00:09:15.453 but my family was thrown in jail 00:09:15.453 --> 00:09:18.997 just a short distance from the South Korean embassy. 00:09:18.997 --> 00:09:22.023 I went back and forth between the immigration office 00:09:22.023 --> 00:09:23.754 and the police station, 00:09:23.754 --> 00:09:26.782 desperately trying to get my family out, 00:09:26.782 --> 00:09:28.234 but I didn't have enough money 00:09:28.234 --> 00:09:30.861 to pay a bribe or fine anymore. 00:09:30.861 --> 00:09:32.655 I lost all hope. NOTE Paragraph 00:09:32.655 --> 00:09:36.356 At that moment, I heard one man's voice ask me, 00:09:36.356 --> 00:09:37.847 "What's wrong?" NOTE Paragraph 00:09:37.847 --> 00:09:39.444 I was so surprised 00:09:39.444 --> 00:09:43.377 that a total stranger cared enough to ask. 00:09:43.377 --> 00:09:45.931 In my broken English, and with a dictionary, 00:09:45.931 --> 00:09:49.885 I explained the situation, and without hesitating, 00:09:49.885 --> 00:09:51.938 the man went to the ATM 00:09:51.938 --> 00:09:54.933 and he paid the rest of the money for my family 00:09:54.933 --> 00:09:58.997 and two other North Koreans to get out of jail. NOTE Paragraph 00:09:58.997 --> 00:10:02.401 I thanked him with all my heart, and I asked him, 00:10:02.401 --> 00:10:04.775 "Why are you helping me?" NOTE Paragraph 00:10:04.775 --> 00:10:07.070 "I'm not helping you," he said. 00:10:07.070 --> 00:10:10.321 "I'm helping the North Korean people." NOTE Paragraph 00:10:10.321 --> 00:10:14.819 I realized that this was a symbolic moment in my life. 00:10:14.819 --> 00:10:18.408 The kind stranger symbolized new hope for me 00:10:18.408 --> 00:10:21.806 and the North Korean people when we needed it most, 00:10:21.806 --> 00:10:25.057 and he showed me the kindness of strangers 00:10:25.057 --> 00:10:27.667 and the support of the international community 00:10:27.667 --> 00:10:32.888 are truly the rays of hope we North Korean people need. NOTE Paragraph 00:10:32.888 --> 00:10:35.374 Eventually, after our long journey, 00:10:35.374 --> 00:10:38.771 my family and I were reunited in South Korea, 00:10:38.771 --> 00:10:42.225 but getting to freedom is only half the battle. 00:10:42.225 --> 00:10:45.848 Many North Koreans are separated from their families, 00:10:45.848 --> 00:10:48.661 and when they arrive in a new country, 00:10:48.661 --> 00:10:52.305 they start with little or no money. 00:10:52.305 --> 00:10:55.331 So we can benefit from the international community 00:10:55.331 --> 00:10:58.336 for education, English language training, 00:10:58.336 --> 00:11:00.699 job training, and more. 00:11:00.699 --> 00:11:02.813 We can also act as a bridge 00:11:02.813 --> 00:11:04.938 between the people inside North Korea 00:11:04.938 --> 00:11:06.918 and the outside world, 00:11:06.918 --> 00:11:09.642 because many of us stay in contact 00:11:09.642 --> 00:11:12.411 with family members still inside, 00:11:12.411 --> 00:11:14.593 and we send information and money 00:11:14.593 --> 00:11:19.161 that is helping to change North Korea from inside. NOTE Paragraph 00:11:19.161 --> 00:11:22.198 I've been so lucky, received so much help 00:11:22.198 --> 00:11:24.403 and inspiration in my life, 00:11:24.403 --> 00:11:27.747 so I want to help give aspiring North Koreans 00:11:27.747 --> 00:11:30.523 a chance to prosper 00:11:30.523 --> 00:11:33.561 with international support. 00:11:33.561 --> 00:11:36.047 I'm confident that you will see more and more 00:11:36.047 --> 00:11:38.804 North Koreans succeeding all over the world, 00:11:38.804 --> 00:11:41.155 including the TED stage. NOTE Paragraph 00:11:41.155 --> 00:11:43.777 Thank you. NOTE Paragraph 00:11:43.777 --> 00:11:53.499 (Applause)