{"id":8601,"date":"2026-10-14T05:56:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T05:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=8601"},"modified":"2026-10-14T05:56:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T05:56:27","slug":"greatest-hits-of-north-korean-refugees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=8601","title":{"rendered":"Greatest hits of North Korean refugees"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>4 Minute, 8 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/picture>
<\/figure>\n

A North Korean refugee could discover a cure for cancer, rescue puppies from burning buildings and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. Yet after hearing about these deeds, the first question from most audiences would be: \u201cHow did you escape North Korea?\u201d<\/p>\n

I thought about that during Freedom Speakers International\u2019s 24th \u201cI am from North Korea\u201d English Speech Contest, held Oct. 10 at Ewha Womans University. I organized it with FSI co-founder Lee Eun-koo, and my co-emcees were North Korean refugees Han Song-mi and Kim Myeong-hee, both past winners. Seven previous winners returned to the stage, but only two spoke about their escapes.<\/p>\n

When North Korean refugees choose their own topics, they rarely talk about their escape stories, reunification or the Kim dynasty ruling North Korea.<\/p>\n

Why would North Korean refugees get tired of talking about their escapes from North Korea? One, by the time they begin speaking publicly, North Korean refugees have already answered the escape question many times, including in stressful situations. In a third country such as Cambodia or Thailand, they explain their escapes as they verify their North Korean citizenship with South Korean embassy or consular officials. <\/p>\n

After arriving in South Korea, they undergo mandatory National Intelligence Service investigations that cover, among other things, why and how they escaped. Following 12 weeks of settlement education at Hanawon, they are released into South Korean society, where they start studying at high school or college, begin working, attend church, participate in programs organized by NGOs and meet people on the internet. They are often asked: \u201cHow did you escape North Korea?\u201d<\/p>\n

Two, some North Korean refugees experienced in public speaking have confided in me that they are bored with telling the same stories. Those who have been in South Korea for 10 to 20 years say they don\u2019t want to be defined only by their escape stories.<\/p>\n

Three, they were often in desperate situations when they escaped and they don\u2019t believe listeners will understand what they are saying. It can be difficult to explain to someone who has always lived in freedom what it was like to escape at the risk of death.<\/p>\n

I say the above not to discourage anyone from asking North Korean refugees questions, but to make it clear there are reasons some North Korean refugees don\u2019t always welcome questions.<\/p>\n

Next, I would like to share three pieces of advice I give to North Korean refugee speakers who struggle with repeatedly being asked the same questions.<\/p>\n

First, treat your escape story like a superstar\u2019s greatest hit. I explain to North Korean refugee speakers that they are like popular performers. I give them examples such as actor Harrison Ford, who has expressed frustration with repeated questions about his previous movie roles, even when promoting other films.<\/p>\n

The late American pop superstar Prince, best known for \u201cPurple Rain,\u201d recalled the frustration of performing the same songs during a 99-show tour: \u201cThe same songs. Played the same way. Every single time.\u201d Prince said audiences wanted to hear the studio version of his songs, but he had numerous versions with different melodies and lyrics in his head and he was always making new music. For a while, he stopped performing his greatest hits, but later came to appreciate how much those songs meant to his fans.<\/p>\n

Second, embrace the question and point people to more. I remind speakers that there are many authors and speakers around the world begging for audience members to attend their speeches. When my co-author Han Song-mi first began speaking publicly, I suggested she mention that her escape story is chapter 19 of her memoir and invite the audience to read it for the full story. The audience wants to hear her escape story, so she gives it to them and lets them know where they can read more.<\/p>\n

Third, think about the one person in the audience hearing your story for the first time. The person may have read books or watched videos about North Korea, but now they are talking to someone who escaped. For that person, the answer could be unforgettable. Many of our event attendees are interrupting each other for the chance to ask a question and many fire off three or four questions at one time. And yes, many of them ask how our speakers escaped from North Korea.<\/p>\n

If a North Korean refugee someday cures cancer, rescues puppies from burning buildings, and brings peace to the Korean Peninsula, I can already imagine the first question from the audience: \u201cThat\u2019s fascinating! Did you do all of that before or after you escaped North Korea?\u201d<\/p>\n

Casey Lartigue Jr. (CJL@alumni.harvard.edu) is the co-founder of Freedom Speakers International with Lee Eun-koo and the co-author with Han Song-mi of her memoir \u201cGreenlight to Freedom: A North Korean Daughter\u2019s Search for Her Mother and Herself.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n \n
\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sad\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sad <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A North Korean refugee could discover a cure for cancer, rescue puppies from burning buildings and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. Yet after hearing about these deeds, the first question from most audiences would be: \u201cHow did you escape North Korea?\u201d I thought about that during Freedom Speakers International\u2019s 24th \u201cI am from North…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-korea","category-trending-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t