Som lille troede jeg at mit land var det bedste i verden, og jeg voksede op med en sang kaldet "Intet at misunde". Og jeg var meget stolt. I skolen brugte vi meget tid på, at studere Kim Il-Sungs historie, men vi lærte aldrig meget om verden udenfor, undtagen at Amerika, Sydkorea og Japan var fjenderne. Selvom jeg ofte spekulerede på verden udenfor, var jeg sikker på, at jeg skulle leve hele mit liv i Nordkorea, indtil alt pludselig ændrede sig.
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.
Da jeg var 7 år gammel, så jeg min første offentlige henrettelse, men jeg troede at mit liv i Nordkorea var almindeligt. Min familie var ikke fattig, og jeg havde aldrig selv oplevet sult.
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.
Men så en dag i 1995 kom min mor hjem med et brev fra en kollegas søster. Der stod: "Når du læser dette, har alle fem familiemedlemmer forladt denne verden, fordi vi ikke har spist de sidste fjorten dage. Vi ligger alle på gulvet sammen, og vores kroppe er så svage. Vi er klar til at dø."
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."
Jeg var så chokeret. Det var første gang jeg hørte at der var folk, som led, i mit land. Kort tid efter da jeg gik forbi togstationen, så jeg noget forfærdeligt, som jeg ikke kan slette fra min hukommelse. Der lå en livløs kvinde på jorden, mens det udsultede barn i hendes arme kun stirrede hjælpeløst på sin mors ansigt. Men ingen hjalp dem, fordi de selv var så fokuserede på, at tage sig af dem selv og deres familier.
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.
En stor hungersnød ramte Nordkorea i midt-90'erne. I sidste ende havde mere end en million nordkoreanere mistet livet under hungersnøden, og mange overlevede kun ved at spise græs, insekter og bark fra træerne. Strømsvigt blev også mere og mere almindelige, så jeg var indhyllet i total mørke om natten med untagelse af lyshavet i Kina på den anden side af floden tæt ved mit hjem. Jeg undrede mig over, hvorfor de havde lys, når vi ikke havde. Det her er et sattelitbillede af Nordkorea om natten sammenlignet med dets naboer.
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.
Det her er floden Amrok, som tjener som en del af grænsen mellem Nordkorea og Kina Som I kan se, kan floden være meget smal visse steder, så Nordkoreanere kan krydse floden i al hemmelighed. Men mange dør. Nogle gange så jeg lig drive ned ad floden. Jeg kan ikke afsløre mange detaljer om min flugt fra Nordkorea. Jeg kan kun sige, at jeg under de hårdeste år af hungersnøden blev sendt til Kina for at bo hos nogle fjerne slægtninge. Jeg troede kun, at jeg ville være væk fra min famiie i kort tid. Jeg kunne aldrig have drømt at det ville tage 14 år før vi kunne bo sammen.
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.
I Kina var det svært at klare sig som ung pige uden min familie. Jeg havde ingen anelse om, hvordan livet ville være som Nordkoreansk flygtning, men jeg lærte hurtigt, at det ikke kun er ekstremt svært, men også meget farligt, eftersom Nordkoreanske flygtninge i Kina ses som illegale immigranter. Så jeg levede i konstant frygt for, at min identitet skulle blive afsløret, og jeg ville blive sendt hjem til en grufuld skæbne hjemme i Nordkorea.
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.
En dag gik mit værste mareridt i opfyldelse, da jeg blev anholdt af Kinesisk politi og taget til politistationen til afhøring. Nogen havde anklaget mig for at være Nordkoreaner, så de vurderede mine kinesiske sprogkundskaber og stillede mig tonsvis af spørgsmål. Jeg var så bange. Jeg troede mit hjerte ville eksplodere. Hvis noget som helst virkede unaturligt, kunne jeg blive fængslet og hjemsendt. Jeg troede mit liv var forbi, men jeg formåede at kontrollere alle mine følelser og besvare spørgsmålene. Da de var færdige med at stille spørgsmål, sagde en betjent til en anden: "Det var en falsk anmeldelse. Hun er ikke nordkoreaner." Så lod de mig gå. Det var et mirakkel
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.
Nogle nordkoreanere i Kina søger asyl i udenlandske ambassader, men mange kan blive fanget af Kinesisk politi og hjemsendt. Disse piger var så heldige. Selvom de blev arresteret, blev de til sidst løsladt, grundet stort internationalt pres. Disse nordkoreanere var ikke lige så heldige. Hvert år arresteres utallige nordkoreanere i Kina og bliver hjemsendt til Nordkorea, hvor de kan blive tortureret, fængslet eller henrettet offentligt.
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,
Selv om jeg var så heldig at undslippe, har mange nordkoreanere ikke været lige så heldige. Det er tragisk at nordkoreanere er nødt til at skjule deres identiteter og kæmpe så hårdt for bare at overleve. Selv efter at have lært et nyt sprog og fået et job, kan hele deres verden blive vendt på hovedet på et øjeblik. Det var derfor, at jeg efter at have skjult min identitet i 10 år besluttede mig for at løbe risikoen og rejse til Sydkorea, og begynde et nyt liv endnu en gang.
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.
Det at finde sig til rette i Sydkorea var meget mere udfordrende end jeg havde forventet. Engelsk var meget vigtigt i Sydkorea, så jeg måtte begynde at lære mit tredje sprog. Jeg oplevede også at der var stor forskel på Nord- og Sydkorea. Vi er allesammen koreanere, men indeni er vi blevet meget forskellige efter 67 års splittelse. Jeg gik også igennem en identitetskrise. Er jeg sydkoreaner eller nordkoreaner? Hvor er jeg fra? Hvem er jeg? Pludselig var der intet land, som jeg med stolthed kunne kalde mit eget.
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.
Selvom det var svært at tilpasse sig livet i Sydkorea, havde jeg en plan. Jeg begyndte at læse op til universitetets adgangseksamen.
Even though adjusting to life in South Korea was not easy, I made a plan -- I started studying for the university entrance exam.
Midt i, at jeg var ved at vænne mig til mit nye liv, modtog jeg et chokerende telefonopkald. De nordkoreanske myndigheder havde opdaget nogle penge som jeg havde sendt til min familie, og som straf skulle min familie med magt forflyttes til et isoleret sted på landet. De skulle ud af landet hurtigt, så jeg begyndte at lægge en flugtplan for dem.
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.
Nordkoreanere er nødt til at rejse utroligt langt på vejen mod friheden. Det er næsten umuligt at krydse grænsen mellem Nord- og Sydkorea, så jeg fløj tilbage til Kina og tog i retning af grænsen til Nordkorea. Eftersom min familie ikke kunne tale Kinesisk, var jeg nødt til at lede dem mere end 3.000 km gennem Kina og så ind i Sydøstasien. Rejsen med bus tog en uge, og vi blev næsten fanget flere gange. Én gang blev vores bus stoppet og en kinesisk pilitibetjent steg på. Han tog alles id-kort, og begyndte at udspørge dem. Siden min familie ikke kunne forstå kinesisk, var jeg overbevist om at de ville blive anholdt. Da den kinesiske betjent nærmede sig min familie, rejste jeg mig impulsivt op og fortalte ham at det var en gruppe døvstumme som jeg tog mig af. Han kiggede mistænksomt på mig, men heldigvis troede han på mig.
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.
Vi kom hele vejen til grænsen til Laos men jeg blev nødt til at bruge næsten alle mine penge på at bestikke grænsevagterne i Laos. Men da vi kom over grænsen, blev min familie alligevel arresteret og fængslet for ulovlig indvandring. Efter jeg betalte kaution og bestikkelse, blev min familie løsladt i en måned, men kort tid efter blev min familie anholdt og fængslet igen i Laos' hovedstad.
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.
Det var en af de laveste perioder i mit liv. Jeg gjorde alt hvad jeg kunne for at befri min familie. Vi var så tæt på, men min familie blev smidt i fængsel ikke langt fra den sydkoreanske ambassade. Jeg gik frem og tilbage mellem immigrationskontoret og politistationen, og prøvede desperat at få min familie ud, men jeg havde ikke penge nok til at betale mere bestikkelse eller kaution. Jeg mistede alt håb.
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.
Det øjeblik hørte jeg en mands stemme spørge: "Hvad er der galt?"
At that moment, I heard one man's voice ask me, "What's wrong?"
Jeg var så overrasket over at en fuldkommen fremmed overhovedet gad spørge. På mit gebrokne engelsk og med en ordbog forklarede jeg situationen, og uden at tøve gik manden hen til en hæveautomat og betalte hvad der manglede for at min familie og to andre nordkoreanere kunne komme ud af fængslet.
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.
Jeg takkede ham af hele mit hjerte og spurgte: "Hvorfor hjælper du mig?"
I thanked him with all my heart, and I asked him, "Why are you helping me?"
"Jeg hjælper ikke dig," sagde han "Jeg hjælper det nordkoreanske folk."
"I'm not helping you," he said. "I'm helping the North Korean people."
Jeg indså at det var et symbolsk øjeblik i mit liv. Den barmhjertige fremmede symboliserede et nyt håb for mig og det nordkoreanske folk i vores yderste nød, og han viste mig hvor barmhjertige fremmede kan være og tilslutningen fra det internationale fællesskab er i sandhed de stråler af håb, vi nordkoreanere har brug for.
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.
Til sidst efter vores lange rejse blev min familie og jeg genforenet i Sydkorea, men vejen til frihed er kun halvdelen af kampen. Mange nordkoreanere er stadig skilt fra deres familier, og når de kommer til et nyt land, begynder de med få eller ingen penge. Så vi kan få glæde af støtte fra det internationale fællesskab til uddannelse, engelskundervisning, jobtræning og mere. Vi kan også fungere som en bro mellem befolkningen inde i Nordkorea og omverden, fordi mange af os holder kontakten med familiemedlemmer, som stadig er derinde, og vi sender information og penge, som hjælper til at ændre Nordkorea indefra.
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.
Jeg har været meget heldig og modtaget så meget hjælp og inspiration i mit liv, så jeg ønsker at hjælpe med til at give nordkoreanere en chance for at trives med international støtte. Jeg er sikker på at man vil se flere og flere nordkoreanere sejre i hele verden inklusive TED-scenen.
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.
Tak.
Thank you.
(Bifald)
(Applause)