LiNK at USC x UCLA Shares the Untold Stories of North Korean Refugees

“Do you know what it feels like to not be able to breathe? When my father stabbed my mother in the lungs — that’s how she felt.”

Students from USC and UCLA listened carefully as Noah, a student at Seoul National University studying political science and international relations, described the events leading up to his escape from North Korea.

“She couldn’t breathe and had to rely on an oxygen tank for the next six months. I was devastated,” Noah said. The shame Noah’s family received after the attack drove him to escape North Korea a year later.

Noah was one of three speakers at last Wednesday’s “USC x UCLA” event held in collaboration with the North Korean non-profit Liberty, also known as LiNK. Liberty was created in order to advocate for North Korean refugees and aid in their resettlement.

Following the end of World War II, the Korean peninsula was divided into two separate regions by the Soviet Union and the United States. The border hardened after years of war in the region, mainly pitted between communist forces in the north and republic forces in the south.

Although North and South Korea share the same language, their cultures diverged under the reign of different governments.

Domestic violence, limited food resources and other factors in the regime create an unsafe environment in North Korea. Many plan, but few succeed, in escaping the country’s violation of human rights.

“There was no one to save us. No police. No law. No regime. No one helped my mother,” said Noah. “There are still so many women and children in North Korea whose voices cannot be heard.”

Alongside Noah were LiNK fellows and refugees Hannah and Harry, also representing the small percentage of individuals that have escaped the North Korean regime.

Hannah, a student at Kookmin University studying Chinese language and literature, shared how she was sold to a man in China when she was 15 years old. He was twice her age.

“I lived in constant anxiety… so I escaped with my one-month old daughter in my arms,” Hannah said. “And even though it was a very hard and dangerous journey, we ran together towards freedom … a future that guaranteed us a safety and home.”

LiNK has helped more than 1,300 refugees escape North Korea through secret rescue routes, calling it a “modern-day underground railroad.”

Yet, there are still 25.8 million North Koreans enduring a violation of human rights and limited access to the outside world.

Hannah and Noah lived under numerous restrictions while they lived in North Korea. Still, they managed sometimes to find ways to at least mildly circumvent them.

“My friends and I would secretly watch Korean dramas and dance to music at night,” said Hannah as Noah subsequently agreed. “Watching South Korean movies is very dangerous … but those were my favorite memories during my childhood.”

After years of living under North Korean restrictions, Hannah and Noah said they experienced profound culture shock when they finally managed to escape. They were finally able to live without that danger.

University collaborations with LiNK continue to advocate for the rights and awareness of North Korean refugees beyond its immediate communities of interest.

Orion Dennin, an advocacy intern with USC’s LiNK team expressed his passion in expanding the limited knowledge college students may have on North Korea.

“I feel like students believe what they see in the news and media,” Dennin said. There’s a lot of fear mongering and a lot of one dimensional portrayal of North Korea. This event, which draws a burst of nuance to it, shows that they’re not just robotic figures.”

Throughout the month, LiNK will continue to visit college campuses to inform students about their mission to de-stigmatize and share the story of North Korean refugees.

In order to learn more and get involved, follow @linkUSC on Instagram and LiNK’s official website here.

Note: For privacy reasons, the refugee’s last names are confidential.