ESL Blogs

Probably, you don’t care about this topic because you take this for granted. Or maybe, for you this is normal, natural, and inherent to you as a living human being, you’re almost correct about this if so. Or, you are one of those that seeing this as a dream that yet to come and praying so hard when it will come to you, poor creature.

Like a normal person you were born, entitle for a name, a birth date, and a family-oops! Above all, you are given the right to LIVE, to enjoy LIFE.

Enjoyyyyyyyyyyyy Lifeeeeeeeeeeee, enjoy!

Of course, as a part of a human family, it is to recognize the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights. Those are the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world, according to UN’s preamble.  

Then all of a sudden, you are no longer free. You don’t have the right to your liberty. It sucks! I know, but it happens. Yesterday you were relaxed sitting on your couch reading the latest Times’ magazine, and today, your right to know what’s happening around the globe was cut. Just remember when you were a child playing your favorite toy and somebody who was powerful than you grabbed it from your hand and claimed that “What?! You have a problem?!” Your eyes will start to water because you know you’re weak, meek, and easy to tweak.

Well, a toy is way-way way better than a life. Read this out in case you aren’t familiar with;

“North Korea is an unnatural country. (Yeah!) There is only one channel on TV and there is no internet. (It means, 98% sure there is no myEC in NK, tsk, tsk!) We aren’t free to sing, (Oh darn! I can’t live there!) say, (Luci can’t live there too :P) wear or think what we want.”

Okay, let’s continue to read her speech…it will take some time but I believe it’s worth it,

“North Korea is the only country in the world that executes people for making unauthorized international phone calls.

(So, how can they make it authorized?)

North Koreans are being terrorized today.

When I was growing up in North Korea, I never saw anything about love stories between man and woman, no books, no songs, no press, no movies about love stories. There is no Romeo and Juliet, (Oh! No Shakespeare!) Every stories were propagandized to brainwash about the Kim dictators.

I was born in 1993 and I was abducted at birth even before I knew the words ‘freedom’ or ‘human rights’. North Koreans are desperately seeking and dying for freedom at this moment…(Gladly, now she could experience what it means to be alive)

When I was 9 years old, I saw my friend’s mother publicly executed. Her crime? Watching a Hollywood movie! (Hollywood is deadly!)

Expressing doubt about the regime can get 3 generations of whole family imprisoned or executed. (How they can possibly know if you’re in doubt? No doubt, this leaders-pretentious-god-the-hell-I-care are psychos)

When I was 4 years old, I was warned by my mother, not to even whisper, the birds and mice could hear me. I admitted it. I thought the North Korean dictator could read my mind. My father died in China after we escaped North Korea. And I have to bury him at 3 am in secret. I was only 14 years old. I couldn’t even cry, I was afraid to be sent back to North Korea. (Stunned)

The day I escaped North Korea, I saw my mother raped. The rapist was a Chinese broker. He had targeted me. I was only 13 years old. There is a saying in North Korea, “Women are weak, but mothers are strong”. My mother allowed herself to be raped in order to protect me. (Speechless)

North Korean refugees, about 300,000 are roaming over in China. 70 percent of North Korean women and teenage girls are being victimized and sometimes sold for as a little as 200 dollars. We walked across the Gobi desert following a compass and when it stopped working, we followed the stars to freedom. I felt only the stars are with us. Mongolia was our freedom moment. (Quitters never win)

Death or dignity; I was with the knife, we were prepared to kill ourselves if we are going to be send back to North Korea. We wanted to live as humans…(yeah, I bet experiencing those terrible things will lead you to kill without any hesitation.)

People often ask me, “How can we help North Koreans?”. There are many ways but I would like to mention 3 for now. (This is the part I really like to know)

One, as you care yourself, you can raise awareness about human crisis in North Korea. (I will try.)

Two, help and support North Korean refugees who are trying to escape for freedom. (If in case possible, if faith dictates I will)

Three, petition China to stop repatriation. (China? This could be the problem-NK and China are colleagues one way or another)

We have to shed the light in the darkest place in the world. It is not just North Korean human rights, it is our rights!

The North Korean dictators have violated for 7 decades. We need governments all around the world to put more pressure on China to stop repatriation. In particular, Chinese delegates of ‘One Young World’ can play a part by speaking up. North Korea is indescribable… No human deserves to be oppressed just because of their birthplace. We need to focus less on the regime and more on the people who are being forgotten.

‘One Young World’, we are the ones who will make them visible. Please join me as we make this a global movement to free North Koreans. When I was crossing the Gobi desert, scared of dying, I thought nobody in this world cared. It seemed that only the stars were with me…

But you have listened to my story. You have cared… Thank you very much.”- Yeonmi Park(NK refugee)

Anyway, I’m just spoiling your day guys, giving you some negative realities that little we realize in life and hardly notice sometimes.