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Wed, March 29, 2023 | 16:37

North Korean refugee escape class of 2011

North Korean refugee escape class of 2011

Four North Korean refugees in Freedom Speakers International (FSI) participated in a forum in Seoul, Thursday, with 25 students and staff visiting from the United States. There were three key similarities about the speakers. One: all four of them escaped from North Korea in 2011. Two: all four of them were rescued by a parent. Three: they have all lived abroad.

2023-03-25 11:38

North Korean defector seeks justice

North Korean defector seeks justice

Twelve North Korean waitresses and a male manager who worked at a restaurant operated by the North Korean regime in China arrived in South Korea in 2016. The waitresses had mostly maintained a low profile. But not anymore.-Ed.

2023-02-11 11:25

2 Koreans from opposite sides of DMZ establish dialogue

2 Koreans from opposite sides of DMZ establish dialogue

If you want to write a book and it is the two of you writing it, you have to work together a lot, share a lot. It is challenging, especially when one is from North Korea, the other from South Korea.

2023-01-21 08:59

Learning English saved my life

Learning English saved my life

I escaped from North Korea in March 2011. The main reason is that I didn't see a future for myself there. Things have not always been easy in South Korea, however. In late 2019, I had hit a low point in my life. I was having many personal problems and I didn't see a future for myself.

2023-01-07 10:10

The voice of longing

The voice of longing

Hwang In-Cheol is a South Korean who has been advocating for the release of his father from North Korea. On Dec. 11th, 2021, I was his interpreter on the 52nd anniversary of the tragedy that befell his family.

2022-12-31 10:19

What I learned from another North Korean defector

What I learned from another North Korean defector

As a North Korean who was born into the core class of North Korea, I was lucky enough to be educated as an intellectual elite from a young age. I attended the best schools in the country and experienced a life that most other North Koreans could only dream of having. And as I joined the Foreign Ministry of North Korea, I was able to stay outside of the country, representing i...

2022-10-15 12:54

Freedom is everything

Freedom is everything

Most people around the world know that North Korea is an isolated country. It is far behind other countries because the government controls almost everything in the country.

2022-10-08 11:42

A North Korean refugee learns about Harvard

A North Korean refugee learns about Harvard

I attended elementary school for only one year when I was growing up in North Korea. My life was unstable in North Korea as I moved from home to home, my mom and I were homeless for a while, and I was usually starving and in poverty.

2022-09-17 13:19

North Korean's bubble of certainty

North Korean's bubble of certainty

It has been said “Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.” My name is Lee Seo-hyun. I am a North Korean escapee who gave up the certain opportunity to thrive in hell, and instead fled my native country to face certain uncertainty. My experience as a North Korean escapee might surprise you. I did not grow up in extreme poverty; I was not coerced into human trafficking; n...

2022-08-21 15:37

Why do NK refugees take to the stage?

Why do NK refugees take to the stage?

On August 27, 2022, Freedom Speakers International (FSI) will be holding its 16th English Speech Contest. North Korean refugees were asked motivated them to participate in the contest.-Ed.

2022-08-20 10:33

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Top 10 Stories

1	Revised Japanese textbooks distort wartime forced labor, catching Korea off guard

2	Clock ticks for China's massive repatriation of N. Korean defectors

3	Gold price nears all-time high amid financial jitters

4	Ramsar wetland in Han River cleaned up for protected birdlife

5	BMW launches new XM

6	Civic groups in Gwangju await meeting with Chun Doo-hwan's grandson

7	CJ CheilJedang sees chicken as next big seller after frozen dumpling

8	North Korea unveils tactical nuclear warheads

9	2024 budget to focus on tackling low birthrate

10	Over 1,000 financially vulnerable Koreans apply for new emergency gov't loans

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