North Korean refugees share stories to raise awareness about defectors' hardship

Participants, volunteers, judges and audience members pose after the 21st English Speech Contest organized by Freedom Speakers International (FSI) at Shin and Kim law office in Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of FSI FSI's English speaking contest highlights NK's human rights issues By Kwak Yeon-soo Kim Su-jin, a 45-year-old nurse who settled in South Korea in 2007 after defecting from the North, recalled that her 20s were filled with hardship and depression. “It [my 20s] was a fight for survival in the face of famine, betrayal and danger,” she said.

“Even now, memories of my 20s overwhelm me — sometimes triggering feelings of depression.” She is the grand prize winner of the 21st English Speech Contest organized by Freedom Speakers International (FSI), Saturday. The event was intended to raise awareness about the reality of the oppressive country, the plight of North Koreans and the risks in escaping.



The participating refugees shared in English their stories of hardship and escape. This year under the theme “I am from North Korea,” eight contestants were each given 10 minutes to talk about their experiences in the North, their paths to freedom and adjusting to life in the South. In her speech themed “My 20s,” Kim, who came to the South after a year-long harsh journey traveling through China, Vietnam and Cambodia, recalled how her 20s were defined by hardship rather than filled with joy or freedom.

She recalled the pain of experiencing North Korea’s deadliest famine in the 1990s. She decided when she was 23 that she wanted to leave the country, hoping that her future children would not grow up in such conditions. However, she was trapped by a broker, who trafficked her and sold her as a bride in China.

A year later, Kim luckily seized an opportunity to escape. She moved from one job to another working more than 10 hours a day until she found a job at a sewing factory earning just enough to survive. Then she met another North Korean defector who introduced her to a new broker to help her escape to South Korea.

“I was 26 when my journey to freedom began. It started with a group of 10 defectors. We gathered in Beijing and traveled by train for three days to Kunming.

On the bus to the Vietnamese border, all except me were stopped by the police at a security checkpoint and deported to North Korea,” she said. “I was the only one who avoided arrest thanks to my basic Chinese language skills and a discarded ID card I had found.” Kim Su-jin, grand prize winner of the 21st English Speech Contest organized by Freedom Speakers International (FSI), delivers a speech during the contest at Shin and Kim law office in Seoul, Saturday.

Courtesy of FSI From there she traveled alone, crossing the China-Vietnam border and later the Vietnam-Cambodia border. “Through sharing my story, I hope to create a future where no one has to endure what I did. I hope to raise awareness and inspire action for many North Korean defectors who are still trapped in the cycle of suffering,” she said.

While living in South Korea and pursuing a professional path in her field, she realized that English was a barrier she had to overcome. She sought out FSI, an organization dedicated to teaching English, about a year and a half ago. Determined to raise awareness of North Korean human rights issues, she is now looking to study social welfare at a graduate school.

“The Chinese government continues to repatriate defectors, ignoring their rights as refugees. This must change. The international community must come together to protect the defectors and ensure they can live with safety and dignity,” she said.

The FSI plans to hold the 22nd contest at Harvard University on Sept. 27..