From: officialflagrant
Yeonmi Park, a New York Times best-selling author and an advocate for Freedom and American values, is introduced as an “ultimate survivor” for her resilience in escaping North Korea [00:00:30]. Her Life Experiences and Storytelling provide a stark contrast between totalitarianism and liberty [00:07:32].
Life in North Korea
Yeonmi Park was born in Hyesan, a northern part of North Korea [00:04:57]. Her early life was incredibly difficult, with easy access to food being a constant concern [00:06:05].
Food Scarcity and Diet
During her childhood, she had to eat:
- Grasshoppers [00:06:12]
- Dragonflies [00:06:15]
- Butterflies [00:06:18]
- Rats [00:07:16] – which were prepared by skinning, gutting, and boiling, especially if the rat was from a tuberculosis-affected area [00:09:53].
- Cockroaches as snacks, with the most delicious part being the “grain-like” inside their tummy [00:12:00].
August was known as “dragonfly season,” a time when people ate well [00:06:48]. Conversely, spring (February-March) was known as the “season of death” because plants didn’t grow, leading to widespread starvation [00:06:59].
Yeonmi notes the stark difference in food availability in America, where she was immediately advised to watch food labels and avoid rice due to concerns about getting “fat” [00:07:50]. In South Korea, defectors initially received a special diet from nutritionists because their bodies could not digest normal food [00:08:16]. Her first meal in South Korea was boiled eggs, which was a “wildest thing” she could dream of [00:08:43]. American rats are notably much bigger than North Korean rats due to better food access [00:09:11].
She states she misses “nothing about that food” and finds it ironic that some in America suggest eating insects to save the planet [00:10:44].
Political System and Control
North Korea operates as a totalitarian regime where people’s lives are entirely controlled from birth [02:55:28]. The entire country is described as a “prison camp” where the regime seals off the ocean and border with guards to prevent escapes [00:35:00].
- Propaganda: All public spaces in Pyongyang are filled with propaganda banners instead of advertisements, glorifying the dictator [02:24:25].
- Restricted Travel: Citizens cannot travel freely, requiring government authorization and IDs even to go to the next town, with checkpoints everywhere [00:32:37].
- Censorship: Reading the Bible is punishable by execution [02:11:12].
- Human Rights: There is no concept of “sexual harassment” or “women’s rights” in North Korea, and movements like MeToo do not exist [02:00:01]. North Korean women soldiers are constantly raped by officers, and if they get pregnant, they are punished, not the officer [01:59:44].
- Population Control: The government requires people to have children to increase the slave labor force for building nuclear weapons [01:55:13]. Marriage and job assignments are determined by the state [01:55:25].
Kim Family Cult of Personality
North Korean leaders are glorified through widespread propaganda:
- Kim Jong Il’s Feats: Propaganda claimed he learned to walk at 8 weeks (impossible according to Yeonmi as a mother) [02:42:21], shot 38 under par in golf with 11 holes-in-one (North Koreans didn’t even know what golf was) [02:43:38], and invented the “double bread with meat” (hamburger) [02:44:20].
- Kim Il Sung’s Birthday: His birthday is celebrated as the “day of the sun,” signifying his status as the “universe” [02:45:27].
- Kim Jong Il’s Birthday: Celebrated as the “day of the shining star,” referencing Jesus Christ’s birth [02:45:32].
- Time and Identity: North Korea has its own time zone and calendar, which begins with Kim Il Sung’s birth [02:49:00]. Citizens are taught they are part of Kim’s race, not Asian [02:49:04].
Social Classes and Discrimination
North Korea divides its people into 51 different classes based on “royalty,” determined by whether their ancestors were landowners or capitalists [01:55:51]. This is compared to American racial dynamics, where ancestry determines “guilt” [01:56:04].
Yeonmi herself came from a relatively privileged background by North Korean standards before her father was arrested, meaning she had food three times a day, but still no electricity, cars, toys, or indoor plumbing [02:54:47].
Escape to Freedom
At 13 years old, Yeonmi and her mother escaped North Korea by crossing a frozen river into China [01:34:52]. The border was heavily guarded with machine guns and landmines, but a broker bribed the guards to allow their passage [01:35:56].
Human Trafficking in China
Immediately after crossing the border, her mother was sold to “mentally ill farmers” as a sex slave for 200 [01:46:27]. She emphasizes that being sold was the only way they could survive, as they would have died otherwise [01:46:49]. The broker who helped them escape was later executed in North Korea, and eight generations of her family were arrested [01:47:09].
Journey to South Korea
From China, she embarked on a perilous journey to Mongolia, crossing the Gobi Desert for 24 straight hours in -40° temperatures [01:50:33]. Rescued by missionaries, she was told the chance of survival was only 1% [01:50:41]. They had no proper gear, only thick jackets, leading to frostbite and skin damage [01:50:41].
The missionaries required them to learn the Bible, memorize psalms, and engage in fasting and prayer, believing North Koreans needed to learn about God and Jesus Christ because the Kim regime copied and perverted biblical theology [02:11:06]. Yeonmi became a Christian after the birth of her son, seeing it as a miracle [02:14:46].
Life After Escape
Adjustment to South Korea
In South Korea, Yeonmi faced discrimination because North Koreans are seen as coming from a poor country, despite sharing genetics and history [02:40:03]. South Koreans stereotype North Koreans as not working hard or being competitive, and not trustworthy because of their supposed willingness to “lie” and worship dictators for self-preservation [02:40:54]. It’s difficult for North Korean defectors to find jobs in South Korea [02:41:38].
Yeonmi had to catch up academically, starting at an elementary school level despite being 17-18 Korean age, due to North Korea’s limited education [02:39:30]. South Korean students face extreme pressure and competition, with high rates of suicide on exam days [02:39:03].
Coming to America and Citizenship
After South Korea, Yeonmi studied at Columbia University and eventually obtained American citizenship [02:22:01].
Cultural Differences and Personal Observations
- Body Image: She was surprised by the body shaming culture in America, having come from a place of extreme food scarcity [00:02:49].
- Race: She had no concept of race before coming to South Korea [02:50:13]. She initially thought all white people looked the same, and later, all black people looked the same [02:50:57]. However, she distinguishes between different Asian ethnicities based on features and dress [02:51:51].
- Dating: She learned about dating conventions in America, initially not understanding that dinner meant a date or that a kiss might be expected [01:00:02]. Her first American boyfriend was a Russian Jew [02:55:34], and her current fiance is Iranian [02:22:33], whom she met on Bumble during the pandemic [02:59:09]. She says she has never dated a Korean man [02:22:51].
- Food: She finds blue cheese disgusting, comparing its smell to feces and attributing it to French “too much liberty” [01:15:55].
- Freedom and Responsibility: Freedom is “overwhelming” and “painful” because it comes with the responsibility of making choices and facing consequences [02:35:48]. She initially couldn’t choose from a restaurant menu because she never thought for herself [02:36:11].
North Korean and global political issues
Control of Information
North Korea has no internet or international phone service [00:33:47]. To communicate with brokers, they use Chinese phones smuggled across the border and make calls from remote mountain areas, often for only 30 seconds at a time to avoid detection by jamming systems [00:34:08]. This elaborate process makes even “one phone call to North Korea” feel like an “act of Congress” [00:34:31].
Economic and Political Influence
- China’s Role: China props up North Korea, buying mineral rights and lending money for 300 years, essentially owning their resources [02:59:11]. China also supplies North Korea with oil, which is essential for nuclear testing and would cause the regime to collapse if withheld [02:59:28].
- Buffer Zone and Propaganda: China uses North Korea as a buffer zone against South Korea, Japan, and America [02:59:59]. North Korea’s atrocities distract the world from China’s human rights abuses, such as the treatment of Uyghurs [02:58:35].
- Nuclear Weapons: North Korea acquired nuclear technology from the Soviet Union in the 1960s-70s [02:77:22]. Their nuclear capability is their “trump card,” making direct intervention by other countries dangerous [02:79:46]. North Korea’s only goal is destroying America because the US represents freedom, human rights, and individual liberty, which are antithetical to their totalitarian ideology [03:21:21].
International Perception and Racism
- Pyongyang as Propaganda: Videos portraying North Korea as “normal” usually show Pyongyang, the capital, which is propped up by the regime to deceive outsiders. It’s compared to the Capitol in The Hunger Games, with 90% of the population starving while 10% in Pyongyang live [02:44:48].
- Tourism Restrictions: Tourists in Pyongyang, like Otto Warmbier, are not allowed to walk freely and are always accompanied [02:48:07].
- Regional Concerns: Japan is scared of North Korea’s nuclear tests, as missiles often fly over their territory [02:48:07].
- American Racism: Yeonmi sees American racism as a “joke” compared to countries like Japan and South Korea, where “foreigners are not allowed” signs are literally displayed in restaurants [02:21:12].
Personal Reflections on Freedom and Society
Views on American Society
- Freedom of Speech: Yeonmi appreciates the freedom to criticize leaders in America, contrasting it with North Korea where such actions lead to execution [03:22:04]. She feels “empowered” by the right to own a gun as an “equalizer” for self-defense [03:03:55].
- Tolerance and Diversity: She believes that true capitalism allows for diverse ideologies to coexist and debate [01:50:57]. She identifies as a “classical liberal” [00:59:31].
- Personal experiences and challenges in modern society:
- Robbery in Chicago: She was robbed by several black women during a BLM protest in Chicago, punched, and had her wallet stolen, leading to $15,000 spent on her credit card [01:06:04]. When she tried to call the police, people on the street circled her and called her a racist [01:06:30]. She eventually had to move from Chicago for her safety [01:07:53].
- Gender and Society: She believes men are struggling in modern society and that the narrative that “men are evil” or “toxic” is unfair [01:02:26]. She also criticizes the “gender wars” in America, particularly the expectation of complete equality in all decisions within a household [01:02:26].
- “Wokeness” and Marxism: Yeonmi sees “wokeness” and Marxist ideology in American institutions, particularly universities, as a dangerous distraction from the real threat of dictatorships like China [01:43:19]. She mentions a Columbia professor suggesting a Communist Revolution is the only solution to problems [01:44:51]. She believes children are being taught Marxist ideas like “equality of outcomes” and entitlements (free healthcare, education) [01:45:53].
The Nature of Oppression
Yeonmi states that if you believe you are oppressed, you are not truly oppressed, because if you were, you wouldn’t even know the word “oppressed” [01:52:12]. She argues that people in comfortable societies seek out grievances because their basic needs are met [01:52:21]. She differentiates between challenges in America, where there is a Constitution and rights, and North Korea, where oppression is a “crime against humanity” [01:52:21].
Challenges and Advocacy
Discrediting Her Story
Yeonmi has faced attempts to discredit her story, which she attributes to:
- English Language Imperfections: Minor errors in her English, like confusing “plants” and “grass,” have been used to attack her credibility [02:11:54].
- Political Ideology: People who follow Marxist or democratic socialist ideologies, or those who “hate America” and therefore “love North Korea,” seek to discredit her because she speaks out against socialism and demonizes China [02:12:54].
- Media Bias: Her agents advised her against appearing on Fox News, warning that mainstream media outlets like The New York Times would then refuse to feature her [01:34:41]. She had to leave her agent because of this [01:35:26].
- Fear of China: Hollywood is hesitant to make movies about North Korea that are critical of China due to financial interests and “woke” ideology [02:08:02].
Advocacy and Mission
Yeonmi believes in humanity and tries to talk to everyone, including communist organizations, to share her story and educate people about the realities of communism [01:41:31]. She advocates for Freedom and American values because she doesn’t want the world to descend into a state like North Korea, believing “progress is not something automatically happens, you need to fight for it” [01:54:23].
Her experiences with MDMA and psilocybin therapy helped her overcome survivor’s guilt, allowing her to connect with her deceased father who expressed pride in her survival [01:14:55]. She attributes her strong immune system and lack of allergies to consuming various insects during her childhood in North Korea [01:03:02].
Personal Life
Yeonmi was previously married and has a son [00:56:45]. She states that surviving in prison is nothing compared to North Korea, and that in North Korea, there’s “no freedom to divorce” [00:57:33]. She is currently engaged [00:58:43]. As a mother, she worries about the future of the world for her son and feels a responsibility to teach the next generation about the realities she experienced [01:52:55]. She is also a fan of Joe Rogan and is not attracted to men over six feet tall [02:05:01].
Conclusion
Yeonmi Park’s powerful Life Experiences and Storytelling highlight the extreme realities of life under a totalitarian regime and emphasize the preciousness of Freedom and American values. Her insights challenge conventional perspectives on suffering and political ideologies, urging vigilance against the erosion of liberty.