{"id":647853,"date":"2013-03-20T11:55:16","date_gmt":"2013-03-20T15:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.ted.com\/?p=73428"},"modified":"2013-03-20T16:31:36","modified_gmt":"2013-03-20T20:31:36","slug":"6-talks-about-incredible-escapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/647853","title":{"rendered":"6 talks about incredible escapes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Hyenseo-Lee-at-TED2013\"<\/a>North Korea is one of the most isolated countries in the world. So it\u2019s exceptionally rare to hear a first-hand account of life there — in English, no less.<\/p>\n

\"HyeonseoHyeonseo Lee: My escape from North Korea<\/span><\/a>In today\u2019s brave talk<\/a>, given at TED2013, Hyenseo Lee gives a riveting account of what it was like to grow up in North Korea. \u201cI thought my country was the best on the planet,\u201d she says. \u201cI was very proud \u2026\u00a0I often wondered about the outside world, but I thought I would spend my life in North Korea — until everything changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lee tells of seeing her first public execution at age 7, and witnessing the death and desperation around her during the terrible famine of the 1990s. She doesn\u2019t actually remember much about her escape — only that, at age 14, she was sent to stay with distant relatives in China. She ended up living there on her own and wouldn\u2019t see her parents again for another 14 years.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to think that, once the border is crossed, the worst is behind a North Korean refugee. But Lee tells her story to stress the point that the struggle continues long after. In China, Lee lived under the constant threat of discovery — which would end with her being deported to face execution, torture or imprisonment. Even after seeking asylum in South Korea in 2008, Lee says life was still hard as she faced a deep depression adjusting to a new life all over again. And then she discovered that her family was being targeted after money she sent home was intercepted.<\/p>\n

To hear this powerful story, watch the talk<\/a>. And here, see more stories of escapes from incredible circumstances.<\/p>\n