This short YouTube video of a young woman sharing the experience of living under North Korea’s dictatorship and then her escape—is gut-wrenching and awe-inspiring.
The young woman in the video’s name is Yeonmi Park. When giving her speech, she emotionally expresses the horror and pain of living in a country where human rights were violated and execution was a daily threat. Regardless of the divisive views as to whether or not the Unites States should get involved in North Korea, this young woman’s voice needs to be heard. The video was originally published on the One Young WorldYouTube channel in 2014 capturing over 3 million views. It’s was recently posted on the Facebook page, The People last June where it’s has gotten over 88 million views and has been shared by over 1 million Facebook users. When I state in the title her story will change your l life, it was not clickbait. You life will be different because you will be further educated on a subject foreign to most Americans.
Here is the video. There are closed captions for those who are hearing impaired. For those with sight/hearing impairments, I have also transcribed the video below so that it can be comprehended through voice text. Yeonmi Park’s story is powerful and at times can be disturbing for some, so I am adding a Trigger Warning.
Here is the transcription:
“I have to do this because this is not me speaking, this is the people who wanted to tell the world what they want to say.
North Korea is an unimaginable country, there is only one channel on TV, there is no Internet, and we aren’t free to sing, say, wear or think what we want.
North Korea is the only country in the world that executed people for making unauthorized international phone calls.
North Korean’s are being terrorized today.
When I was growing up in North Korea I never saw anything about love stories between men and women. No books, no songs, no press no movies about love stories. There is no Romeo and Juliet; every story was propaganda to promote 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. When I was 9 years old I saw my friend’s mother publicly executed. Her crime watching a Hollywood movie.
Expressing doubt about the greatness of the regime can get three generations of a family imprisoned or executed.
When I was four years old, I was warned by my mother not to even whisper, the birds and mice couldn’t hear me. I admit it: I thought the North Korean dictator could read my mind. My father died in China after we escaped North Korea and I had to bury him, at 3 a.m. in secret. I was 14 years old. I couldn’t even cry. I was afraid to be sent back to North Korea.
The day I escaped North Korea, I saw my mother raped. The rapist was a Chinese broker. He targeted me. I was 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.
North Korean refugees about 300,000 are vulnerable in China. 70% of North Korean women teenage girls are being victimized, sometimes sold for as little as $200.
We walked across the Gobi desert, following a compass, when that stopped working we followed stars to freedom. I felt only the stars were with us. Mongolia was our freedom moment. Death or dignity. Armed with knives, we were prepared to kill ourselves if we were going to be sent back to North Korea. We wanted to live as humans.
People often ask me: How can we help North Koreans? There are many ways, but I would like to mention three, for now.
- Educate yourself so you can raise awareness about the human rights crisis in North Korea.
- Help and support North Korean refugees who are trying to escape to freedom.
- Petition China to stop repatriation.
We have to shed light on the darkest place in the world. It isn’t just North Korean human rights it’s our rights that the North Korean dictators have violated for seven decades. We need governments 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 out. North Korea is indescribable. No humans deserve 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. Fellow delegates, 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.
No matter how bad things have gotten here in America, and it’s been nonstop bad for for eight months straight, most of us can’t even imagine living under the conditions so many people encounter around the world. By sharing this video it is hoped more awareness and compassion for the plight of others will continue to inspire action and positive change. Learn more about One Young World via their Facebook Page.