Dok sam bila mala, mislila sam da je moja zemlja najbolja na svijetu i odrasla sam pjevajući pjesmu koja se zove "Ne zavidim na ničemu". Bila sam jako ponosna. U školi smo mnogo vremena provodili učeći historiju Kim II-Sunga, ali nikad nismo previše učili o ostatku svijeta, osim da su Amerika, Južna Koreja i Japan neprijatelji. Iako sam često razmišljala o svijetu van Sjeverne Koreje, mislila sam da ću tu provesti cijeli život, dok se sve iznenada nije promjenilo.
When I was little, I thought my country was the best on the planet. And I grew up singing a song called "Nothing To Envy." And I was very proud. In school, we spent a lot of time studying the history of Kim Il-Sung, but we never learned much about the outside world, except that America, South Korea, Japan are the enemies. Although I often wondered about the outside world, I thought I would spend my entire life in North Korea, until everything suddenly changed.
Sa sedam godina sam prvi put vidjela javno pogubljenje, ali sam mislila da je moj život u Sjevernoj Koreji normalan. Moja obitelj nije bila siromašna i ja osobno nikad nisam iskusila glad.
When I was seven years old, I saw my first public execution. But I thought my life in North Korea was normal. My family was not poor, and myself, I had never experienced hunger.
Jednog dana, 1995. moja je majka kući donijela pismo od sestre kolege s posla. Pisalo je: "Kada ovo budete čitali, nitko od pet članova obitelji neće više postojati na ovom svijetu, jer nismo jeli posljednjih par sedmica. Ležimo na podu zajedno, a naša tijela su tako slaba da smo spremni umrijeti."
But one day, in 1995, my mom brought home a letter from a coworker's sister. It read, "When you read this, our five family members will not exist in this world, because we haven't eaten for the past three weeks. We are lying on the floor together, and our bodies are so weak, we are waiting to die."
Bila sam šokirana. To je bio prvi put da čujem da ljudi u mojoj zemlji pate. Ubrzo potom, dok sam prolazila pored željezničke stanice, vidjela sam nešto užasno, što ne mogu izbrisati iz sjećanja. Beživotno tijelo žene je ležalo na tlu dok je mršavo dijete u njenim rukama bespomoćno buljilo u majčino lice. Nitko im nije pomogao, jer su svi bili fokusirani na brigu o sebi i svojim obiteljima.
I was so shocked. This was the first time I heard that people in my country were suffering. Soon after, when I was walking past a train station, I saw something terrible that to this day I can't erase from my memory. A lifeless woman was lying on the ground, while an emaciated child in her arms just stared helplessly at his mother's face. But nobody helped them, because they were so focused on taking care of themselves and their families.
Velika glad je pogodila Sjevernu Koreju sredinom devedesetih. Konačno, vise od milion Korejaca je umrlo tijekom perioda gladi, a mnogi su preživjeli samo zato što su jeli travu, kukce i koru drveća. Nestanci struje su postali sve cešći i noću je sve postajalo potpuno mračno osim mora svijetla u Kini, upravo preko puta rijeke pored moje kuće. Uvijek sam se pitala zašto oni imaju svjetla, a mi nemamo. Ovo je satelitska snimka Sjeverne Koreje noću u poredbi sa susjedima.
A huge famine hit North Korea in the mid-1990s. Ultimately, more than a million North Koreans died during the famine, and many only survived by eating grass, bugs and tree bark. Power outages also became more and more frequent, so everything around me was completely dark at night, except for the sea of lights in China, just across the river from my home. I always wondered why they had lights, but we didn't. This is a satellite picture showing North Korea at night, compared to neighbors.
Ovo je rijeka Amrok, koja služi kao dio granice između Sjeverne Koreje i Kine. Kao što vidite, rijeka može biti jako uska na određenim mjestima sto omogućava Korejancima da tajno prelaze. Ali mnogi umru. Ponekad bih vidjela leševe kako plutaju rijekom. Ne mogu otkriti previše detalja o tome kako sam napustila Sjevernu Koreju ali mogu reći da sam tijekom gadnih godina gladi poslana u Kinu da živim s daljom rodbinom. Mislila sam da ću kratko biti odvojena od obitelji. Nisam mogla ni zamisliti da ce proći 14 godina dok ne budemo živjeli zajedno.
This is the Amnok River, which serves as a part of the border between North Korea and China. As you can see, the river can be very narrow at certain points, allowing North Koreans to secretly cross. But many die. Sometimes, I saw dead bodies floating down the river. I can't reveal many details about how I left North Korea, but I only can say that during the ugly years of the famine, I was sent to China to live with distant relatives. But I only thought that I would be separated from my family for a short time. I could have never imagined that it would take 14 years to live together.
Kao mladoj djevojci u Kini bilo mi je teško živjeti bez moje obitelji. Nisam imala pojma kakav će mi biti život kao izbjeglice iz Sjeverne Koreje ali uskoro sam shvatila da je ne samo jako težak, nego i opasan jer se Izbjeglice iz Sjeverne Koreje u Kini smatraju ilegalnim migrantima. Živjela sam u konstantnom strahu da bi moj identitet mogao biti otkriven i da ću biti vraćena užasnoj sudbini nazad u Sjevernu Koreju.
In China, it was hard living as a young girl without my family. I had no idea what life was going to be like as a North Korean refugee. But I soon learned it's not only extremely difficult, it's also very dangerous, since North Korean refugees are considered in China as illegal migrants. So I was living in constant fear that my identity could be revealed, and I would be repatriated to a horrible fate, back in North Korea.
Jednog se dana moja najgora noćna mora ostvarila kada me uhvatila kineska policija i dovela u policijsku stanicu na ispitivanje. Netko me optužio da sam Sjevernokorejka pa su testirali moje poznavanje kineskog jezika i postavili mi gomilu pitanja. Bila sam tako uplašena da sam mislila da će mi eksplodirati srce. Ako se nešto učini neprirodnim, mogla bih biti zarobljena i vraćena u domovinu. Mislila sam da je moj život završen ali sam uspjela kontrolirati sve svoje emocije i odgovarati na pitanja. Nakon što su završili s ispitivanjem, jedan je službenik rekao drugom: "Ovo je bila lažna dojava. Ona nije Sjevernokorejka." Pustili su me. To je bilo čudo.
One day, my worst nightmare came true, when I was caught by the Chinese police, and brought to the police station for interrogation. Someone had accused me of being North Korean, so they tested my Chinese language abilities, and asked me tons of questions. I was so scared. I thought my heart was going to explode. If anything seemed unnatural, I could be imprisoned and repatriated. I thought my life was over. But I managed to control all the emotions inside me, and answer the questions. After they finished questioning me, one official said to another, "This was a false report. She's not North Korean." And they let me go. It was a miracle.
Neki Sjevernokorejci u Kini traže azil u stranim ambasadama, ali mnoge može uhvatiti kineska policija i vratiti u domovinu. Ove djevojčice su imale sreće. Iako su bile uhvaćene, na kraju su puštene zbog jakog internacionalnog pritiska. Ovi Sjevernokorejci nisu bili tako sretni. Svake godine bezbroj Sjevernokorejaca bude uhvaćeno u Kini i vraćeno u Sjevernu Koreju, gdje mogu biti mučeni, zarobljeni ili javno pogubljeni.
Some North Koreans in China seek asylum in foreign embassies. But many can be caught by the Chinese police, and repatriated. These girls were so lucky. Even though they were caught, they were eventually released, after heavy international pressure. These North Koreans were not so lucky. Every year, countless North Koreans are caught in China and repatriated to North Korea, where they can be tortured, imprisoned, or publicly executed. Even though I was really fortunate to get out,
Iako sam imala veliku sreću da se izvučem, brojni Sjevernokorejci nisu bili te sreće. Tragično je što Sjevernokorejci moraju skrivati svoj identitet i boriti se samo da prežive. Čak i nakon što nauče jezik i dobiju posao, njihov cijeli svijet može biti prevrnut u sekundi. Zato sam nakon 10 godina skrivanja svog identiteta odlučila riskirati i otići u Sjevernu Koreju i ponovo početi novi život.
many other North Koreans have not been so lucky. It's tragic that North Koreans have to hide their identities and struggle so hard just to survive. Even after learning a new language and getting a job, their whole world can be turned upside down in an instant. That's why, after 10 years of hiding my identity, I decided to risk going to South Korea. And I started a new life yet again.
Stvaranje života u Sjevernoj Koreji je bilo mnogo zahtjevnije nego sto sam očekivala. Engleski je bio tako važan u Sjevernoj Koreji da sam morala početi učiti i treći jezik. Uvidjela sam da je veliki jaz između sjevera i juga. Svi smo Korejci, ali iznutra smo postali jako različiti zbog 67 godina podjele. Prošla sam i kroz krizu identiteta. Jesam li Sjeverno-korejanka ili Južno-korejanka? Odakle sam? Tko sam ja? Iznenada, nije postojala zemlja koju bih s ponosom zvala svojom.
Settling down in South Korea was a lot more challenging than I had expected. English was so important in South Korea, so I had to start learning my third language. Also, I realized there was a wide gap between North and South. We are all Korean, but inside, we have become very different, due to 67 years of division. I even went through an identity crisis. Am I South Korean or North Korean? Where am I from? Who am I? Suddenly, there was no country I could proudly call my own.
Iako prilagođavanje životu u Južnoj Koreji nije bilo lako, napravila sam plan. Počela sam učiti za prijemni ispit na fakultet.
Even though adjusting to life in South Korea was not easy, I made a plan -- I started studying for the university entrance exam.
Baš kad sam se počela navikavati na novi život, primila sam šokantan poziv. Vlasti Sjeverne Koreje su presrele neki novac koji sam poslala obitelji i za kaznu je moja obitelj trebala biti prisilno uklonjena na napuštenu lokaciju na selu. Morali su brzo pobjeći pa sam počela planirati kako da im pomognem da pobjegnu.
Just as I was starting to get used to my new life, I received a shocking phone call. The North Korean authorities intercepted some money that I sent to my family, and, as a punishment, my family was going to be forcibly removed to a desolate location in the countryside. They had to get out quickly. So I started planning how to help them escape.
Sjevernokorejci su proputovali nevjerovatne udaljenosti na putu ka slobodi. Gotovo je nemoguće prijeći granicu između Sjeverne i Južne Koreje, pa sam, što je ironično, odletjela do Kine i zaputila se prema sjevernokorejskoj granici. Obzirom da moja obitelj ne govori kineski morala sam ih nekako prevesti preko više od 3000 km do Kine i onda do jugoistočne Azije. Putovanje autobusom je trajalo sedmicu i nekoliko puta smo skoro uhapšeni. Jednom, naš je autobus zaustavio kineski policajac koji se potom ukrcao. Uzeo je sve lične karte i počeo ih ispitivati. Obzirom da moja obitelj nije razumjela kineski, mislila sam da ce biti uhapšeni. Dok se kineski policajac približavao mojoj obitelji, nagonski sam ustala i rekla mu da su to gluhonijemi ljudi za koje se brinem. Pogledao me sumnjičavo, ali mi je srećom povjerovao.
North Koreans have to travel incredible distances on the path to freedom. It's almost impossible to cross the border between North Korea and South Korea. So, ironically, I took a flight back to China and headed toward the North Korean border. Since my family couldn't speak Chinese, I had to guide them somehow through more than 2,000 miles in China, and then into Southeast Asia. The journey by bus took one week, and we were almost caught several times. One time, our bus was stopped and boarded by a Chinese police officer. He took everyone's I.D. cards, and he started asking them questions. Since my family couldn't understand Chinese, I thought my family was going to be arrested. As the Chinese officer approached my family, I impulsively stood up, and I told him that these are deaf and dumb people that I was chaperoning. He looked at me suspiciously, but luckily, he believed me.
Dospjeli smo sve do granice s Laosom, gdje sam morala dati sav svoj novac za podmićivanje stražara u Laosu. Ali nakon što smo prešli granicu, moja je obitelj uhapšena i zatvorena zbog ilegalnog prelaska granice. Nakon što sam platila kaznu i mito, moja je obitelj puštena nakon mjesec dana, ali ubrzo potom, ponovo je uhapšena i zatvorena u glavnom gradu Laosa.
We made it all the way to the border of Laos. But I had to spend almost all my money to bribe the border guards in Laos. But even after we got past the border, my family was arrested and jailed for illegal border crossing. After I paid the fine and bribe, my family was released in one month. But soon after, my family was arrested and jailed again, in the capital of Laos.
Ovo je bio jedan od najgorih trenutaka mog života. Sve sam učinila da oslobodim svoju obitelj i bili smo tako blizu, ali moja obitelj je bačena u zatvor nedaleko od ambasade Južne Koreje. Odlazila sam od imigracijskog ureda do policijske stanice očajnički pokušavajući izbaviti svoju obitelj ali nisam imala dovoljno novaca da platim kaznu i mito. Izgubila sam nadu.
This was one of the lowest points in my life. I did everything to get my family to freedom, and we came so close, but my family was thrown in jail, just a short distance from the South Korean embassy. I went back and forth between the immigration office and the police station, desperately trying to get my family out. but I didn't have enough money to pay a bribe or fine anymore. I lost all hope.
U tom me trenutku neki muški glas pitao: "Šta nije u redu?"
At that moment, I heard one man's voice ask me, "What's wrong?"
Bila sam iznenađena što je totalnom strancu bilo dovoljno stalo da me to pita. Na slabom engleskom i uz pomoć rječnika objasnila sam situaciju i bez oklijevanja, čovjek je otišao do bankomata i platio ostatak novca za moju obitelj te oslobađanje još dvojice Sjevernokorejaca.
I was so surprised that a total stranger cared enough to ask. In my broken English, and with a dictionary, I explained the situation, and without hesitating, the man went to the ATM, and he paid the rest of the money for my family, and two other North Koreans to get out of jail.
Od srca sam mu zahvalila i pitala: "Zašto mi pomažete?"
I thanked him with all my heart, and I asked him, "Why are you helping me?"
"Ne pomažem tebi," rekao je: "pomažem ljudima Sjeverne Koreje."
"I'm not helping you," he said. "I'm helping the North Korean people."
Shvatila sam da je to simboličan trenutak u mom životu. Dobri stranac je simbolizirao nadu za mene i za Sjevernokorejce kada nam je ona bila najviše potrebna, te mi je pokazao dobrotu stranaca i podršku međunarodne zajednice kao stvarne zrake nade koje su bile potrebne Sjevernokorejcima.
I realized that this was a symbolic moment in my life. The kind stranger symbolized new hope for me and the North Korean people, when we needed it most. And he showed me that the kindness of strangers and the support of the international community are truly the rays of hope we North Korean people need.
Konačno, nakon dugog putovanja, moja obitelj i ja smo ujedninjeni u Sjevernoj Koreji, ali smo bili na pola puta do slobode. Mnogi su Sjevernokorejci odvojeni od svojih obitelji i kada stignu u zemlju, počinju s malo ili nimalo novaca. Tako da možemo iskoristiti međunarodnu zajednicu za obrazovanje, treninge engleskog jezika, treninge za posao i više. Možemo i djelovati kao most između ljudi u Sjevernoj Koreji i vanjskog svijeta, jer mnogi ostaju u kontaktu sa članovima obitelji koji su još tamo, pa im šaljemo informacije i novac što pomaže promjeni Sjeverne Koreje iznutra.
Eventually, after our long journey, my family and I were reunited in South Korea. But getting to freedom is only half the battle. Many North Koreans are separated from their families, and when they arrive in a new country, they start with little or no money. So we can benefit from the international community for education, English language training, job training, and more. We can also act as a bridge between the people inside North Korea and the outside world. Because many of us stay in contact with family members still inside, and we send information and money that is helping to change North Korea from inside.
Bila sam jako sretna i dobila toliko pomoći i inspiracije u svom zivotu da želim pomoći oživljavanje nade Sjevernokorejaca u šansu za poboljšanje uz međunarodnu pomoć. Vjerujem da ćete vidjeti sve više Sjevernokorejaca koji uspjevaju diljem svijeta, Uključujući i TED-ovu scenu.
I've been so lucky, received so much help and inspiration in my life, so I want to help give aspiring North Koreans a chance to prosper with international support. I'm confident that you will see more and more North Koreans succeeding all over the world, including the TED stage.
Hvala.
Thank you.
(Aplauz)
(Applause)