Author and activist Yeonmi Park, who defected from North Korea at the age of 13, shared her harrowing journey of escaping the oppressive regime and eventually becoming a U.S. citizen and political advocate.
The Tuesday event, titled “From North Korea to America: Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness,” was organized by the Ciceronian Society and sponsored by the Young America Foundation.
Park recounted her upbringing in North Korea, where she was taught from an early age to refrain from speaking openly due to the regime’s pervasive surveillance. She emphasized the severe consequences of dissent, noting that even a single wrong word could result in not only her death but also the condemnation of multiple generations of her family.
Describing the totalitarian environment of North Korea, Park highlighted how every aspect of life was controlled to glorify the regime and suppress individual expression.
In 2014, Park relocated to the U.S. to write her memoir, “To Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom,” which was published the following year. Since then, she has become a prominent figure in conservative circles, sharing her story through various media platforms and university lectures.
Despite gaining acclaim for her activism, Park has faced scrutiny from journalists and scholars regarding the accuracy of her accounts about North Korea. She has attributed any inconsistencies to challenges in translation.
“As soon as I criticized the woke, now I’m a liar,” Park said in reference to backlash she has received in recent years over her statements on cancel culture and political correctness, such as criticizing left-wing indoctrination in U.S. schools as the “biggest threat that our nation, and our civilization is facing.”
Park addressed her political alignment, asserting that while she does not identify as conservative, she has often been labeled as such due to her critiques of the North Korean dictatorship and her stance on certain political issues.
During her speech, Park alternated between light-hearted observations about American culture and emotional narratives detailing the atrocities she witnessed and endured in North Korea.
She recounted instances of starvation and desperation, including watching children resort to eating rats and witnessing the callous treatment of patients in North Korean hospitals.
Park shared her traumatic experiences of being trafficked and sexually exploited in China after fleeing North Korea. She credited Christian missionaries with aiding her eventual escape to Mongolia, where she embarked on a perilous journey.
