My escape from North Korea
-
0:01 - 0:05When I was little, I thought my country
was the best on the planet. -
0:05 - 0:08And I grew up singing a song
called "Nothing To Envy." -
0:09 - 0:11And I was very proud.
-
0:11 - 0:15In school, we spent a lot of time
studying the history of Kim Il-Sung, -
0:15 - 0:18but we never learned much
about the outside world, -
0:19 - 0:23except that America, South Korea,
Japan are the enemies. -
0:24 - 0:27Although I often wondered
about the outside world, -
0:27 - 0:31I thought I would spend
my entire life in North Korea, -
0:31 - 0:33until everything suddenly changed.
-
0:35 - 0:39When I was seven years old,
I saw my first public execution. -
0:40 - 0:42But I thought my life
in North Korea was normal. -
0:43 - 0:45My family was not poor,
-
0:45 - 0:48and myself, I had never
experienced hunger. -
0:48 - 0:53But one day, in 1995,
my mom brought home a letter -
0:53 - 0:55from a coworker's sister.
-
0:55 - 0:58It read, "When you read this,
-
0:58 - 1:03our five family members
will not exist in this world, -
1:03 - 1:06because we haven't eaten
for the past three weeks. -
1:07 - 1:09We are lying on the floor together,
-
1:09 - 1:15and our bodies are so weak,
we are waiting to die." -
1:19 - 1:20I was so shocked.
-
1:22 - 1:26This was the first time I heard
that people in my country were suffering. -
1:28 - 1:31Soon after, when I was walking
past a train station, -
1:31 - 1:35I saw something terrible that to this day
I can't erase from my memory. -
1:36 - 1:39A lifeless woman was lying on the ground,
-
1:39 - 1:43while an emaciated child in her arms
-
1:43 - 1:46just stared helplessly
at his mother's face. -
1:48 - 1:49But nobody helped them,
-
1:49 - 1:54because they were so focused on taking
care of themselves and their families. -
1:56 - 2:00A huge famine hit North Korea
in the mid-1990s. -
2:00 - 2:05Ultimately, more than a million
North Koreans died during the famine, -
2:05 - 2:10and many only survived by eating
grass, bugs and tree bark. -
2:12 - 2:15Power outages also became
more and more frequent, -
2:15 - 2:19so everything around me
was completely dark at night, -
2:19 - 2:22except for the sea of lights in China,
-
2:22 - 2:24just across the river from my home.
-
2:24 - 2:29I always wondered
why they had lights, but we didn't. -
2:30 - 2:34This is a satellite picture
showing North Korea at night, -
2:34 - 2:36compared to neighbors.
-
2:38 - 2:39This is the Amnok River,
-
2:39 - 2:44which serves as a part of the border
between North Korea and China. -
2:44 - 2:49As you can see, the river can be
very narrow at certain points, -
2:49 - 2:51allowing North Koreans to secretly cross.
-
2:53 - 2:54But many die.
-
2:55 - 2:59Sometimes, I saw dead bodies
floating down the river. -
3:02 - 3:07I can't reveal many details
about how I left North Korea, -
3:07 - 3:11but I only can say that
during the ugly years of the famine, -
3:11 - 3:16I was sent to China to live
with distant relatives. -
3:16 - 3:21But I only thought that I would
be separated from my family -
3:21 - 3:23for a short time.
-
3:23 - 3:25I could have never imagined
-
3:25 - 3:28that it would take 14 years
to live together. -
3:29 - 3:33In China, it was hard living
as a young girl without my family. -
3:33 - 3:36I had no idea what life
was going to be like -
3:36 - 3:38as a North Korean refugee.
-
3:38 - 3:42But I soon learned it's not
only extremely difficult, -
3:42 - 3:44it's also very dangerous,
-
3:45 - 3:51since North Korean refugees are considered
in China as illegal migrants. -
3:52 - 3:57So I was living in constant fear
that my identity could be revealed, -
3:57 - 4:00and I would be repatriated
to a horrible fate, -
4:00 - 4:02back in North Korea.
-
4:03 - 4:06One day, my worst nightmare came true,
-
4:06 - 4:08when I was caught by the Chinese police,
-
4:08 - 4:13and brought to the police station
for interrogation. -
4:13 - 4:16Someone had accused me
of being North Korean, -
4:16 - 4:20so they tested my Chinese
language abilities, -
4:20 - 4:22and asked me tons of questions.
-
4:23 - 4:24I was so scared.
-
4:25 - 4:27I thought my heart was going to explode.
-
4:28 - 4:33If anything seemed unnatural,
I could be imprisoned and repatriated. -
4:34 - 4:36I thought my life was over.
-
4:37 - 4:40But I managed to control
all the emotions inside me, -
4:40 - 4:41and answer the questions.
-
4:42 - 4:44After they finished questioning me,
-
4:44 - 4:46one official said to another,
-
4:46 - 4:49"This was a false report.
She's not North Korean." -
4:50 - 4:53And they let me go. It was a miracle.
-
4:54 - 4:58Some North Koreans in China
seek asylum in foreign embassies. -
4:59 - 5:03But many can be caught
by the Chinese police, -
5:03 - 5:04and repatriated.
-
5:04 - 5:06These girls were so lucky.
-
5:06 - 5:08Even though they were caught,
-
5:08 - 5:12they were eventually released,
after heavy international pressure. -
5:13 - 5:16These North Koreans were not so lucky.
-
5:16 - 5:20Every year, countless North Koreans
are caught in China -
5:20 - 5:23and repatriated to North Korea,
-
5:23 - 5:28where they can be tortured, imprisoned,
or publicly executed. -
5:29 - 5:32Even though I was
really fortunate to get out, -
5:32 - 5:35many other North Koreans
have not been so lucky. -
5:35 - 5:39It's tragic that North Koreans
have to hide their identities -
5:39 - 5:42and struggle so hard just to survive.
-
5:43 - 5:46Even after learning a new
language and getting a job, -
5:46 - 5:50their whole world can be turned
upside down in an instant. -
5:50 - 5:54That's why, after 10 years
of hiding my identity, -
5:54 - 5:57I decided to risk going to South Korea.
-
5:58 - 6:01And I started a new life yet again.
-
6:01 - 6:03Settling down in South Korea
-
6:03 - 6:06was a lot more challenging
than I had expected. -
6:06 - 6:10English was so important in South Korea,
-
6:10 - 6:12so I had to start learning
my third language. -
6:13 - 6:18Also, I realized there was a wide gap
between North and South. -
6:18 - 6:20We are all Korean, but inside,
-
6:20 - 6:25we have become very different,
due to 67 years of division. -
6:26 - 6:29I even went through an identity crisis.
-
6:30 - 6:32Am I South Korean or North Korean?
-
6:33 - 6:35Where am I from? Who am I?
-
6:36 - 6:41Suddenly, there was no country
I could proudly call my own. -
6:44 - 6:47Even though adjusting to life
in South Korea was not easy, -
6:47 - 6:52I made a plan -- I started studying
for the university entrance exam. -
6:52 - 6:56Just as I was starting
to get used to my new life, -
6:56 - 6:59I received a shocking phone call.
-
6:59 - 7:01The North Korean authorities
intercepted some money -
7:01 - 7:03that I sent to my family,
-
7:03 - 7:08and, as a punishment, my family
was going to be forcibly removed -
7:08 - 7:11to a desolate location in the countryside.
-
7:12 - 7:13They had to get out quickly.
-
7:14 - 7:17So I started planning
how to help them escape. -
7:18 - 7:21North Koreans have to travel
incredible distances -
7:21 - 7:23on the path to freedom.
-
7:24 - 7:26It's almost impossible to cross the border
-
7:26 - 7:29between North Korea and South Korea.
-
7:29 - 7:33So, ironically, I took
a flight back to China -
7:33 - 7:36and headed toward the North Korean border.
-
7:37 - 7:40Since my family couldn't speak Chinese,
-
7:40 - 7:44I had to guide them somehow
through more than 2,000 miles -
7:44 - 7:48in China, and then into Southeast Asia.
-
7:49 - 7:51The journey by bus took one week,
-
7:51 - 7:54and we were almost caught several times.
-
7:54 - 8:00One time, our bus was stopped
and boarded by a Chinese police officer. -
8:01 - 8:03He took everyone's I.D. cards,
-
8:03 - 8:06and he started asking them questions.
-
8:06 - 8:11Since my family couldn't
understand Chinese, -
8:11 - 8:13I thought my family
was going to be arrested. -
8:14 - 8:17As the Chinese officer
approached my family, -
8:17 - 8:19I impulsively stood up, and I told him
-
8:19 - 8:23that these are deaf and dumb people
that I was chaperoning. -
8:24 - 8:26He looked at me suspiciously,
-
8:26 - 8:29but luckily, he believed me.
-
8:30 - 8:33We made it all the way
to the border of Laos. -
8:34 - 8:38But I had to spend almost all my money
-
8:38 - 8:40to bribe the border guards in Laos.
-
8:41 - 8:43But even after we got past the border,
-
8:43 - 8:48my family was arrested and jailed
for illegal border crossing. -
8:49 - 8:51After I paid the fine and bribe,
-
8:51 - 8:54my family was released in one month.
-
8:55 - 8:59But soon after, my family
was arrested and jailed again, -
8:59 - 9:00in the capital of Laos.
-
9:02 - 9:05This was one of the lowest
points in my life. -
9:06 - 9:11I did everything to get
my family to freedom, -
9:11 - 9:13and we came so close,
-
9:13 - 9:15but my family was thrown in jail,
-
9:15 - 9:18just a short distance
from the South Korean embassy. -
9:19 - 9:22I went back and forth
between the immigration office -
9:22 - 9:24and the police station,
-
9:24 - 9:27desperately trying to get my family out.
-
9:27 - 9:31but I didn't have enough money
to pay a bribe or fine anymore. -
9:31 - 9:32I lost all hope.
-
9:33 - 9:37At that moment, I heard
one man's voice ask me, -
9:37 - 9:38"What's wrong?"
-
9:38 - 9:43I was so surprised that a total stranger
cared enough to ask. -
9:44 - 9:46In my broken English,
and with a dictionary, -
9:46 - 9:50I explained the situation,
and without hesitating, -
9:50 - 9:52the man went to the ATM,
-
9:52 - 9:55and he paid the rest
of the money for my family, -
9:55 - 9:58and two other North Koreans
to get out of jail. -
9:59 - 10:03I thanked him with all my heart,
and I asked him, -
10:03 - 10:04"Why are you helping me?"
-
10:05 - 10:07"I'm not helping you," he said.
-
10:07 - 10:09"I'm helping the North Korean people."
-
10:10 - 10:14I realized that this
was a symbolic moment in my life. -
10:15 - 10:20The kind stranger symbolized new hope
for me and the North Korean people, -
10:20 - 10:22when we needed it most.
-
10:22 - 10:25And he showed me
that the kindness of strangers -
10:25 - 10:28and the support
of the international community -
10:28 - 10:32are truly the rays of hope
we North Korean people need. -
10:33 - 10:35Eventually, after our long journey,
-
10:35 - 10:38my family and I were reunited
in South Korea. -
10:39 - 10:42But getting to freedom
is only half the battle. -
10:43 - 10:46Many North Koreans
are separated from their families, -
10:46 - 10:49and when they arrive in a new country,
-
10:49 - 10:51they start with little or no money.
-
10:52 - 10:55So we can benefit
from the international community -
10:56 - 11:00for education, English language training,
job training, and more. -
11:01 - 11:03We can also act as a bridge
-
11:03 - 11:07between the people inside North Korea
and the outside world. -
11:07 - 11:13Because many of us stay in contact
with family members still inside, -
11:13 - 11:15and we send information and money
-
11:15 - 11:18that is helping to change
North Korea from inside. -
11:19 - 11:24I've been so lucky, received
so much help and inspiration in my life, -
11:25 - 11:28so I want to help give
aspiring North Koreans -
11:28 - 11:32a chance to prosper
with international support. -
11:34 - 11:37I'm confident that you will see
more and more North Koreans -
11:37 - 11:39succeeding all over the world,
-
11:39 - 11:41including the TED stage.
-
11:41 - 11:42Thank you.
-
11:42 - 11:49(Applause)
- Title:
- My escape from North Korea
- Speaker:
- Hyeonseo Lee
- Description:
-
As a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee thought her country was “the best on the planet.” It wasn't until the famine of the 90s that she began to wonder. She escaped the country at 14, to begin a life in hiding, as a refugee in China. Hers is a harrowing, personal tale of survival and hope -- and a powerful reminder of those who face constant danger, even when the border is far behind.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 12:15
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for My escape from North Korea | ||
Krystian Aparta commented on English subtitles for My escape from North Korea | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for My escape from North Korea | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for My escape from North Korea | ||
Morton Bast edited English subtitles for My escape from North Korea | ||
Thu-Huong Ha approved English subtitles for My escape from North Korea | ||
Thu-Huong Ha edited English subtitles for My escape from North Korea | ||
Thu-Huong Ha edited English subtitles for My escape from North Korea |
Krystian Aparta
The English transcript was updated on 5/1/2015.