My escape from North Korea | Hyeonseo Lee | TED

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: Christian Munk Reviewer: Niels Justus

Som lille

When I was little, I thought my country was the best on the planet.

troede jeg at mit land var det bedste i verden,

And I grew up singing a song called "Nothing To Envy."

og jeg voksede op med en sang kaldet "Intet at misunde".

Og jeg var meget stolt.

And I was very proud.

In school, we spent a lot of time studying the history of Kim Il-Sung,

I skolen brugte vi meget tid på,

at studere Kim Il-Sungs historie,

but we never learned much about the outside world,

men vi lærte aldrig meget om verden udenfor,

undtagen at Amerika, Sydkorea og Japan var fjenderne.

except that America, South Korea, Japan are the enemies.

Selvom jeg ofte spekulerede på verden udenfor,

Although I often wondered about the outside world,

var jeg sikker på, at jeg skulle leve hele mit liv i Nordkorea,

I thought I would spend my entire life in North Korea,

until everything suddenly changed.

indtil alt pludselig ændrede sig.

When I was seven years old, I saw my first public execution.

Da jeg var 7 år gammel, så jeg min første offentlige henrettelse,

But I thought my life in North Korea was normal.

men jeg troede at mit liv i Nordkorea var almindeligt.

Min familie var ikke fattig,

My family was not poor,

and myself, I had never experienced hunger.

og jeg havde aldrig selv oplevet sult.

But one day, in 1995, my mom brought home a letter

Men så en dag i 1995 kom min mor hjem med et brev

from a coworker's sister.

fra en kollegas søster.

It read, "When you read this,

Der stod: "Når du læser dette, har alle fem familiemedlemmer

our five family members will not exist in this world,

forladt denne verden,

fordi vi ikke har spist de sidste fjorten dage.

because we haven't eaten for the past three weeks.

We are lying on the floor together,

Vi ligger alle på gulvet sammen,

and our bodies are so weak, we are waiting to die."

og vores kroppe er så svage. Vi er klar til at dø."

I was so shocked.

Jeg var så chokeret.

This was the first time I heard that people in my country were suffering.

Det var første gang jeg hørte

at der var folk, som led, i mit land.

Kort tid efter da jeg gik forbi togstationen,

Soon after, when I was walking past a train station,

I saw something terrible that to this day I can't erase from my memory.

så jeg noget forfærdeligt,

som jeg ikke kan slette fra min hukommelse.

A lifeless woman was lying on the ground,

Der lå en livløs kvinde på jorden,

while an emaciated child in her arms

mens det udsultede barn i hendes arme

just stared helplessly at his mother's face.

kun stirrede hjælpeløst på sin mors ansigt.

But nobody helped them,

Men ingen hjalp dem, fordi de selv var så fokuserede

because they were so focused on taking care of themselves and their families.

på, at tage sig af dem selv og deres familier.

A huge famine hit North Korea in the mid-1990s.

En stor hungersnød ramte Nordkorea i midt-90'erne.

Ultimately, more than a million North Koreans died during the famine,

I sidste ende havde mere end en million nordkoreanere

mistet livet under hungersnøden, og mange overlevede kun

and many only survived by eating grass, bugs and tree bark.

ved at spise græs, insekter og bark fra træerne.

Power outages also became more and more frequent,

Strømsvigt blev også mere og mere almindelige,

so everything around me was completely dark at night,

så jeg var indhyllet i total mørke om natten

except for the sea of lights in China,

med untagelse af lyshavet i Kina

just across the river from my home.

på den anden side af floden tæt ved mit hjem.

I always wondered why they had lights, but we didn't.

Jeg undrede mig over, hvorfor de havde lys, når vi ikke havde.

Det her er et sattelitbillede af Nordkorea om natten

This is a satellite picture showing North Korea at night,

compared to neighbors.

sammenlignet med dets naboer.

This is the Amnok River,

Det her er floden Amrok,

which serves as a part of the border between North Korea and China.

som tjener som en del af grænsen

mellem Nordkorea og Kina

As you can see, the river can be very narrow at certain points,

Som I kan se, kan floden være meget smal visse steder,

så Nordkoreanere kan krydse floden i al hemmelighed.

allowing North Koreans to secretly cross.

But many die.

Men mange dør.

Sometimes, I saw dead bodies floating down the river.

Nogle gange så jeg lig drive ned ad floden.

I can't reveal many details about how I left North Korea,

Jeg kan ikke afsløre mange detaljer om min flugt fra Nordkorea.

but I only can say that during the ugly years of the famine,

Jeg kan kun sige, at jeg under de hårdeste år af hungersnøden

I was sent to China to live with distant relatives.

blev sendt til Kina for at bo hos nogle fjerne slægtninge.

But I only thought that I would be separated from my family

Jeg troede kun,

at jeg ville være væk fra min famiie i kort tid.

for a short time.

I could have never imagined

Jeg kunne aldrig have drømt

that it would take 14 years to live together.

at det ville tage 14 år før vi kunne bo sammen.

I Kina var det svært at klare sig som ung pige uden min familie.

In China, it was hard living as a young girl without my family.

I had no idea what life was going to be like

Jeg havde ingen anelse om, hvordan livet ville være

as a North Korean refugee.

som Nordkoreansk flygtning,

But I soon learned it's not only extremely difficult,

men jeg lærte hurtigt, at det ikke kun er ekstremt svært,

it's also very dangerous,

men også meget farligt,

since North Korean refugees are considered in China as illegal migrants.

eftersom Nordkoreanske flygtninge i Kina

ses som illegale immigranter.

So I was living in constant fear that my identity could be revealed,

Så jeg levede i konstant frygt for,

at min identitet skulle blive afsløret,

and I would be repatriated to a horrible fate,

og jeg ville blive sendt hjem til en grufuld skæbne

back in North Korea.

hjemme i Nordkorea.

One day, my worst nightmare came true,

En dag gik mit værste mareridt i opfyldelse,

when I was caught by the Chinese police,

da jeg blev anholdt af Kinesisk politi

and brought to the police station for interrogation.

og taget til politistationen til afhøring.

Someone had accused me of being North Korean,

Nogen havde anklaget mig for at være Nordkoreaner,

so they tested my Chinese language abilities,

så de vurderede mine kinesiske sprogkundskaber

and asked me tons of questions.

og stillede mig tonsvis af spørgsmål.

I was so scared.

Jeg var så bange.

I thought my heart was going to explode.

Jeg troede mit hjerte ville eksplodere.

If anything seemed unnatural, I could be imprisoned and repatriated.

Hvis noget som helst virkede unaturligt, kunne jeg blive fængslet

og hjemsendt.

I thought my life was over.

Jeg troede mit liv var forbi,

But I managed to control all the emotions inside me,

men jeg formåede at kontrollere alle mine følelser

and answer the questions.

og besvare spørgsmålene.

Da de var færdige med at stille spørgsmål,

After they finished questioning me,

one official said to another,

sagde en betjent til en anden:

"This was a false report. She's not North Korean."

"Det var en falsk anmeldelse.

Hun er ikke nordkoreaner."

And they let me go. It was a miracle.

Så lod de mig gå. Det var et mirakkel

Some North Koreans in China seek asylum in foreign embassies.

Nogle nordkoreanere i Kina søger asyl

i udenlandske ambassader,

But many can be caught by the Chinese police,

men mange kan blive fanget af Kinesisk politi

and repatriated.

og hjemsendt.

These girls were so lucky.

Disse piger var så heldige.

Even though they were caught,

Selvom de blev arresteret,

they were eventually released, after heavy international pressure.

blev de til sidst løsladt,

grundet stort internationalt pres.

Disse nordkoreanere var ikke lige så heldige.

These North Koreans were not so lucky.

Every year, countless North Koreans are caught in China

Hvert år arresteres utallige nordkoreanere i Kina

and repatriated to North Korea,

og bliver hjemsendt til Nordkorea,

where they can be tortured, imprisoned, or publicly executed.

hvor de kan blive tortureret, fængslet

eller henrettet offentligt.

Even though I was really fortunate to get out,

Selv om jeg var så heldig at undslippe,

many other North Koreans have not been so lucky.

har mange nordkoreanere ikke været lige så heldige.

It's tragic that North Koreans have to hide their identities

Det er tragisk at nordkoreanere er nødt til at skjule deres identiteter

and struggle so hard just to survive.

og kæmpe så hårdt for bare at overleve.

Even after learning a new language and getting a job,

Selv efter at have lært et nyt sprog og fået et job,

their whole world can be turned upside down in an instant.

kan hele deres verden blive vendt på hovedet på et øjeblik.

That's why, after 10 years of hiding my identity,

Det var derfor, at jeg efter at have skjult min identitet i 10 år

besluttede mig for at løbe risikoen og rejse til Sydkorea,

I decided to risk going to South Korea.

And I started a new life yet again.

og begynde et nyt liv endnu en gang.

Settling down in South Korea

Det at finde sig til rette i Sydkorea var meget mere udfordrende

was a lot more challenging than I had expected.

end jeg havde forventet.

English was so important in South Korea,

Engelsk var meget vigtigt i Sydkorea,

so I had to start learning my third language.

så jeg måtte begynde at lære mit tredje sprog.

Also, I realized there was a wide gap between North and South.

Jeg oplevede også at der var stor forskel

på Nord- og Sydkorea.

We are all Korean, but inside,

Vi er allesammen koreanere, men indeni

we have become very different, due to 67 years of division.

er vi blevet meget forskellige

efter 67 års splittelse.

Jeg gik også igennem en identitetskrise.

I even went through an identity crisis.

Am I South Korean or North Korean?

Er jeg sydkoreaner eller nordkoreaner?

Where am I from? Who am I?

Hvor er jeg fra? Hvem er jeg?

Suddenly, there was no country I could proudly call my own.

Pludselig var der intet land,

som jeg med stolthed kunne kalde mit eget.

Even though adjusting to life in South Korea was not easy,

Selvom det var svært at tilpasse sig livet i Sydkorea,

I made a plan -- I started studying for the university entrance exam.

havde jeg en plan.

Jeg begyndte at læse op til universitetets adgangseksamen.

Just as I was starting to get used to my new life,

Midt i, at jeg var ved at vænne mig til mit nye liv,

I received a shocking phone call.

modtog jeg et chokerende telefonopkald.

The North Korean authorities intercepted some money

De nordkoreanske myndigheder

havde opdaget nogle penge som jeg havde sendt til min familie,

that I sent to my family,

og som straf skulle min familie

and, as a punishment, my family was going to be forcibly removed

med magt forflyttes

til et isoleret sted på landet.

to a desolate location in the countryside.

They had to get out quickly.

De skulle ud af landet hurtigt,

So I started planning how to help them escape.

så jeg begyndte at lægge en flugtplan for dem.

North Koreans have to travel incredible distances

Nordkoreanere er nødt til at rejse utroligt langt

on the path to freedom.

på vejen mod friheden.

It's almost impossible to cross the border

Det er næsten umuligt at krydse grænsen

between North Korea and South Korea.

mellem Nord- og Sydkorea,

So, ironically, I took a flight back to China

så jeg fløj tilbage til Kina

and headed toward the North Korean border.

og tog i retning af grænsen til Nordkorea.

Eftersom min familie ikke kunne tale Kinesisk,

Since my family couldn't speak Chinese,

I had to guide them somehow through more than 2,000 miles

var jeg nødt til at lede dem

mere end 3.000 km gennem Kina

in China, and then into Southeast Asia.

og så ind i Sydøstasien.

Rejsen med bus tog en uge,

The journey by bus took one week,

and we were almost caught several times.

og vi blev næsten fanget flere gange.

One time, our bus was stopped and boarded by a Chinese police officer.

Én gang blev vores bus stoppet

og en kinesisk pilitibetjent steg på.

He took everyone's I.D. cards,

Han tog alles id-kort,

and he started asking them questions.

og begyndte at udspørge dem.

Since my family couldn't understand Chinese,

Siden min familie ikke kunne forstå kinesisk,

var jeg overbevist om at de ville blive anholdt.

I thought my family was going to be arrested.

Da den kinesiske betjent nærmede sig min familie,

As the Chinese officer approached my family,

I impulsively stood up, and I told him

rejste jeg mig impulsivt op og fortalte ham

that these are deaf and dumb people that I was chaperoning.

at det var en gruppe døvstumme

som jeg tog mig af.

He looked at me suspiciously,

Han kiggede mistænksomt på mig,

but luckily, he believed me.

men heldigvis troede han på mig.

We made it all the way to the border of Laos.

Vi kom hele vejen til grænsen til Laos

But I had to spend almost all my money

men jeg blev nødt til at bruge næsten alle mine penge

to bribe the border guards in Laos.

på at bestikke grænsevagterne i Laos.

Men da vi kom over grænsen,

But even after we got past the border,

my family was arrested and jailed for illegal border crossing.

blev min familie alligevel arresteret og fængslet

for ulovlig indvandring.

After I paid the fine and bribe,

Efter jeg betalte kaution og bestikkelse,

my family was released in one month.

blev min familie løsladt i en måned,

But soon after, my family was arrested and jailed again,

men kort tid efter blev min familie anholdt og fængslet igen

in the capital of Laos.

i Laos' hovedstad.

This was one of the lowest points in my life.

Det var en af de laveste perioder i mit liv.

I did everything to get my family to freedom,

Jeg gjorde alt hvad jeg kunne for at befri min familie.

and we came so close,

Vi var så tæt på,

but my family was thrown in jail,

men min familie blev smidt i fængsel

just a short distance from the South Korean embassy.

ikke langt fra den sydkoreanske ambassade.

I went back and forth between the immigration office

Jeg gik frem og tilbage mellem immigrationskontoret

and the police station,

og politistationen,

desperately trying to get my family out.

og prøvede desperat at få min familie ud,

but I didn't have enough money to pay a bribe or fine anymore.

men jeg havde ikke penge nok

til at betale mere bestikkelse eller kaution.

I lost all hope.

Jeg mistede alt håb.

Det øjeblik hørte jeg en mands stemme spørge:

At that moment, I heard one man's voice ask me,

"What's wrong?"

"Hvad er der galt?"

I was so surprised that a total stranger cared enough to ask.

Jeg var så overrasket

over at en fuldkommen fremmed overhovedet gad spørge.

In my broken English, and with a dictionary,

På mit gebrokne engelsk og med en ordbog

I explained the situation, and without hesitating,

forklarede jeg situationen, og uden at tøve

the man went to the ATM,

gik manden hen til en hæveautomat

and he paid the rest of the money for my family,

og betalte hvad der manglede for at min familie

and two other North Koreans to get out of jail.

og to andre nordkoreanere kunne komme ud af fængslet.

I thanked him with all my heart, and I asked him,

Jeg takkede ham af hele mit hjerte og spurgte:

"Why are you helping me?"

"Hvorfor hjælper du mig?"

"I'm not helping you," he said.

"Jeg hjælper ikke dig," sagde han

"I'm helping the North Korean people."

"Jeg hjælper det nordkoreanske folk."

I realized that this was a symbolic moment in my life.

Jeg indså at det var et symbolsk øjeblik i mit liv.

The kind stranger symbolized new hope for me and the North Korean people,

Den barmhjertige fremmede symboliserede et nyt håb for mig

og det nordkoreanske folk i vores yderste nød,

when we needed it most.

And he showed me that the kindness of strangers

og han viste mig hvor barmhjertige fremmede kan være

and the support of the international community

og tilslutningen fra det internationale fællesskab

er i sandhed de stråler af håb, vi nordkoreanere har brug for.

are truly the rays of hope we North Korean people need.

Eventually, after our long journey,

Til sidst efter vores lange rejse

my family and I were reunited in South Korea.

blev min familie og jeg genforenet i Sydkorea,

But getting to freedom is only half the battle.

men vejen til frihed er kun halvdelen af kampen.

Many North Koreans are separated from their families,

Mange nordkoreanere er stadig skilt fra deres familier,

and when they arrive in a new country,

og når de kommer til et nyt land,

they start with little or no money.

begynder de med få eller ingen penge.

So we can benefit from the international community

Så vi kan få glæde af støtte fra det internationale fællesskab

for education, English language training, job training, and more.

til uddannelse, engelskundervisning,

jobtræning og mere.

Vi kan også fungere som en bro

We can also act as a bridge

between the people inside North Korea and the outside world.

mellem befolkningen inde i Nordkorea

og omverden,

Because many of us stay in contact with family members still inside,

fordi mange af os holder kontakten

med familiemedlemmer, som stadig er derinde,

and we send information and money

og vi sender information og penge,

that is helping to change North Korea from inside.

som hjælper til at ændre Nordkorea indefra.

I've been so lucky, received so much help and inspiration in my life,

Jeg har været meget heldig og modtaget så meget hjælp

og inspiration i mit liv,

so I want to help give aspiring North Koreans

så jeg ønsker at hjælpe med til at give nordkoreanere

a chance to prosper with international support.

en chance for at trives

med international støtte.

I'm confident that you will see more and more North Koreans

Jeg er sikker på at man vil se flere og flere

nordkoreanere sejre i hele verden

succeeding all over the world,

including the TED stage.

inklusive TED-scenen.

Thank you.

Tak.

(Applause)

(Bifald)