The speaker, a former resident of North Korea, shares their harrowing journey of escaping the country at a young age due to severe hunger and the impending death it posed. Despite the lack of a clear plan or knowledge of what the future held, they and their sister made the decision to escape, driven by the dire circumstances they faced.
The speaker describes North Korea as a place where the concept of "love" is twisted, with the Dear Leader being the only source of love and adoration. The North Korean government's control over the population extends to the point where they believe the Dear Leader is an almighty god who can read their thoughts.
The speaker emphasizes that critical thinking is not practiced in North Korea, leading to a lack of understanding of the reality around them. They describe their surprise upon learning that the Dear Leader was not starving, but had a luxurious life, after escaping to South Korea.
The speaker argues that humans inherently know what is right and wrong, but this knowledge must be taught. They emphasize the importance of compassion, which they did not understand while in North Korea, but learned after escaping.
The speaker concludes by expressing concern about the fragility of freedom and the need to fight for human rights. They emphasize the importance of hope, stating that nothing is forever in this world, and that there is reason to be hopeful.
1. The speaker was born in 1993 in a town called Hyesan, located on the border between North Korea and China.
2. The speaker had loving parents and one older sister.
3. Before the speaker was 10 years old, their father was sent to a labor camp for engaging in illegal trading.
4. The illegal trading involved selling clogs, sugar, rice, and later copper to feed the family.
5. In 2007, the speaker and their older sister decided to escape from North Korea.
6. The word "escape" in this context refers to their desperate attempt to avoid starvation in North Korea.
7. The speaker jumped out of their house, symbolizing their escape from their oppressive environment.
8. The speaker describes life in North Korea as unimaginable, stating that words in any language cannot describe the experience.
9. The speaker explains that the word "love" in North Korea only has one meaning: love for the Dear Leader.
10. The speaker mentions that growing up in North Korea, they believed their Dear Leader was an almighty god who could read their thoughts.
11. Upon escaping to South Korea, the speaker was told that their Dear Leader was actually a dictator with a luxurious lifestyle.
12. The speaker emphasizes that the biggest question people ask them is why there was no revolution in North Korea for 70 years of oppression.
13. The speaker argues that you can't fight for your freedom if you don't know you're oppressed.
14. The speaker states that everything, including compassion, must be taught.
15. The speaker now lives in the United States as a free person.
16. The speaker expresses concern that freedom is fragile and that it only took three generations to make North Korea into George Orwell's "1984".
17. The speaker calls for fighting for human rights for the oppressed who don't have a voice.