Yeonmi Park, who is a human rights activist and author who fled from North Korea when she was 13 years old, spoke at Duke University on Tuesday about her harrowing journey to freedom and her mission to expose the atrocities of the Kim regime.
The event, titled “From North Korea to America: Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness”, was hosted by the Ciceronian Society and sponsored by the Young America Foundation.
Park, now 30, told the audience that she grew up in a society where everything was controlled by the state and the dictator, and where people had no rights or freedoms. She revealed to them that
“In North Korea, every song, every book, every movie, literally everything has been about the worshiping of dictators and the party. We are not allowed to tell a human story in North Korea.”
She also said that she witnessed starvation, executions, and oppression almost on a daily basis.
“Starvation is a tool for dictatorship in North Korea. If you’re full in your tummy, what are you going to think about? You think about the meaning of life. You think about freedom. If you’re on the verge of dying from not having food, the only thing that consumes your mind is finding food.”
According to Yeonmi Park, after she had escaped the country with her mother, she endured rape, abuse, and violence for two years, before she managed to escape to Mongolia with the help of Christian missionaries. She said that she eventually reached South Korea, where she received asylum and education.
Park said that she wrote her memoir, “In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom“, in 2015, to share her story with the world and to raise awareness about the plight of the North Korean people. She talked about how she became an activist and a speaker, who advocates for human rights and democracy in North Korea and other oppressed countries.
Yeonmi Park’s speech was followed by a Q&A session, where she answered questions from the audience about her life, her views, and her advice. She also signed copies of her book and took photos with the attendees. The event was well-attended and well-received by the Duke community, who praised Park for her courage and inspiration.
