North Korean Defectors Faced Starvation, Forced Labor
Raising Awareness of Immense Suffering Story by Kay Youngstrom ’19
Over the 10 summers that I have spent in Seoul, South Korea, while my parents taught at Korea University, I have been exposed to the conflict and history of the Korean peninsula in a variety of ways. Visiting the Demilitarized Zone and the War Memorial of Korea have been just as poignant as being the only American passing by a demonstration protesting Otto Warmbier’s wrongful death. The summary statistics used to describe the plight of the North Korean people fall short of conveying the immense suffering. Through my work with People for Successful COrean REunification (PSCORE), over the past five summers, I heard firsthand accounts about the hardships of life in North Korea. I quickly became a friend to the defectors. Instead of hiding their true identities for fear of discrimination, they discussed their North Korean heritage while learning English. While tutoring defectors and attending numerous outreach events, I learned of the arduous and dangerous routes of
defection they endured for the hope of freedom. The emotion with which defectors recounted periods of starvation and forced labor helped me to understand the gravity of these abuses. Instead of letting the magnitude of the crisis prevent me from addressing it, I decided to raise awareness about what was happening in North Korea. My sister, Diane Youngstrom ’17 — now a student at UNC-Chapel Hill — and I helped organize multiple speech events at which defectors could share their stories and answer any lingering questions by audience members. These speech events were a place where North Koreans’ voices were heard by students from about 60 countries in an international summer program. I invited people I met in the lobby of my hotel and the members of my research lab to attend the events. These symposia were a way that I could help develop a more informed understanding with a diverse group.
