My escape from North Korea | Hyeonseo Lee | TED

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Prevoditelj: Martina Dolenčić Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

Kada sam bila mala,

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

mislila sam da je moja zemlja najbolja na planeti,

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

i odrasla sam pjevajući pjesmu koja se zove "Ništa za zavidjeti".

I bila sam vrlo ponosna.

And I was very proud.

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

U školi smo proveli mnogo vremena

učeći povijest o Kim II-Sung-u,

but we never learned much about the outside world,

ali nikada nismo naučili puno o vanjskome svijetu,

osim da su Amerika, Južna Koreja i Japan neprijatelji.

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

Iako sam se često zapitala o vanjskome svijetu,

Although I often wondered about the outside world,

mislila sam da ću cijeli život provesti u Sjevernoj Korei,

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

until everything suddenly changed.

dok se odjednom nije sve promijenilo.

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

Kada sam imala sedam godina, vidjela sam svoje prvo javno smaknuće,

But I thought my life in North Korea was normal.

ali mislila sam da je moj život u Sjevernoj Koreji bio normalan.

Moja obitelj nije bila siromašna,

My family was not poor,

and myself, I had never experienced hunger.

a ja, ja nikada nisam iskusila što je to glad.

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

Ali jednoga dana, 1995. godine, majka mi je donijela doma pismo

from a coworker's sister.

od suradnikove sestre.

It read, "When you read this,

Pisalo je, "Dok čitaš ovo, svih pet članova obitelji

our five family members will not exist in this world,

neće postojati na ovome svijetu,

jer nismo jeli ništa zadnja dva tjedna.

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

We are lying on the floor together,

Ležimo zajedno na podu,

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

i naša tijela su toliko slaba da smo spremni umrijeti."

I was so shocked.

Bila sam šokirana.

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

Ovo je bio prvi put da čujem

da ljudi u mojoj zemlji pate.

Ubrzo nakon toga, kada sam hodala pored željezničke stanice,

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.

vidjela sam nešto strašno

što ne mogu izbrisati iz svoje glave.

A lifeless woman was lying on the ground,

Beživotno tijelo žene je ležalo na podu,

while an emaciated child in her arms

dok je mršavo dijete u njezinim rukama

just stared helplessly at his mother's face.

samo gledalo bespomoćno u lice svoje majke.

But nobody helped them,

Ali niko im nije pomogao, jer su svi bili toliko fokusirani

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

na brigu o sebi i svojim obiteljima.

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

Ogromna glad je pogodila Sjevernu Koreju sredinom 1990.-ih.

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

Na poslijetku, više od milijun Sjeverno Korejaca

umrlo je tijekom gladi, a mnogi su prežvjeli jedino

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

hraneći se travom, kukcima i korom stabala.

Power outages also became more and more frequent,

Nestanci struje postali su sve češći i češći,

so everything around me was completely dark at night,

tako da je sve oko mene bilo potpuni mrak

except for the sea of lights in China,

osim mora svjetla u Kini

just across the river from my home.

preko puta rijeke od moje kuće.

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

Uvijek sam se pitala zašto su oni imali svjetla a mi ne.

Ovo je satelitska slika koja prikazuje Sjevernu Koreju noću

This is a satellite picture showing North Korea at night,

compared to neighbors.

uspoređena sa susjedima.

This is the Amnok River,

Ovo je Amrok rijeka,

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

koja služi kao dio granice

između Sjeverne Koreje i Kine.

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

Kao što možete vidjeti, rijeka može biti vrlo uska

na određenim mjestima, dopuštajući Sjeverno Koreancima da tajno prijeđu.

allowing North Koreans to secretly cross.

But many die.

Ali mnogi su poginuli.

Sometimes, I saw dead bodies floating down the river.

Ponekad vidim mrtva tijela kako plutaju niz rijeku.

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

Ne mogu otkriti puno detalja kako sam napustila Sjevernu Koreju,

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

ali jedino što mogu reći je da sam tijekom ružnih godina gladi

I was sent to China to live with distant relatives.

poslana u Kinu živjeti kod dalekih rođaka.

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

Ali mislila sam

da ću biti odvojena od svoje obitelji samo na kratko vrijeme.

for a short time.

I could have never imagined

Nisam mogla zamisliti

that it would take 14 years to live together.

da će se to odužiti na 14 godina.

U Kini mi je bilo teško živjeti kao djevojčici bez obitelji.

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

I had no idea what life was going to be like

Nisam znala kako će izgledati život

as a North Korean refugee.

kao Sjeverno Kreanskoj izbjeglici

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

ali ubrzo sam naučila da to nije samo jako teško,

it's also very dangerous,

već je i vrlo opasno,

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

otkad su Sjeverno Koreanske izbjeglice otkrivene u Kini

kao ilegalni migranti.

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

I tako sam živjela u stalnom strahu

da će moj identitet biti otkriven,

and I would be repatriated to a horrible fate,

i da ću biti vraćena groznoj sudbini

back in North Korea.

natrag u Sjevernu Koreju.

One day, my worst nightmare came true,

Jednoga dana moja se najgora noćna mora ostvarila,

when I was caught by the Chinese police,

kada sam bila uhvaćena od strane Kineske policije

and brought to the police station for interrogation.

i dovedena u policijsku postaju na ispitivanje.

Someone had accused me of being North Korean,

Netko me optužio da sam Sjeverno Koreanka,

so they tested my Chinese language abilities,

pa su testirali moje Kineske jezične sposobnosti

and asked me tons of questions.

i ispitali me puno pitanja.

I was so scared.

Bila sam toliko uplašena,

I thought my heart was going to explode.

mislila sam da će mi srce eksplodirati.

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

Ako se bilo što učini neprirodnim, mogla bih biti zatvorena

i vraćena.

I thought my life was over.

Mislila sam da je moj život gotov,

But I managed to control all the emotions inside me,

ali uspjela sam kontrolirati svoje emocije unutar sebe

and answer the questions.

i odgovarati na pitanja.

Nakon završetka ispitivanja,

After they finished questioning me,

one official said to another,

jedan službenik je rekao drugome

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

"Ovo je bila lažna prijava.

Ona nije Sjeverno Koreanka."

And they let me go. It was a miracle.

I pustili su me. To je bilo čudo.

Some North Koreans in China seek asylum in foreign embassies.

Neki Sjeverno Koreanci u Kini traže azil

u stranim ambasadama

But many can be caught by the Chinese police,

ali mnogi mogu biti uhvaćeni od strane Kineske policije

and repatriated.

i vraćeni.

These girls were so lucky.

Ove djevojke su bile jako sretne.

Even though they were caught,

Iako su uhvaćene,

they were eventually released, after heavy international pressure.

na kraju su bili puštene

nakon teškog međunarodnog pritiska.

Ovi Sjeverno Koreanci nisu nemaju toliko sreće.

These North Koreans were not so lucky.

Every year, countless North Koreans are caught in China

Svake godine, bezbroj Sjeverno Koreanaca je uhvaćeno u Kini

and repatriated to North Korea,

i vraćeno u Sjevernu Koreju,

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

gdje mogu biti izloženi mučenjima, zatvoreni

ili javno pogubljeni.

Even though I was really fortunate to get out,

Iako sam bila jako sretna što sam se izvukla,

many other North Koreans have not been so lucky.

mnogo drugih Sjeverno Koreanaca nije imalo toliko sreće.

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

Tragično je što Sjeverno Koreanci moraju skrivati svoj identitet

and struggle so hard just to survive.

i toliko se boriti samo kako bi preživjeli.

Even after learning a new language and getting a job,

Iako nakon učenja novog jezika i dobitka novog posla,

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

njihov se cijeli život može preokrenuti u trenu.

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

Zbog toga, nakon 10 godina skrivanja svog identiteta,

odlučila sam riskirati odlaskom u Južnu Koreju,

I decided to risk going to South Korea.

And I started a new life yet again.

i započela sam ponovo nov život.

Settling down in South Korea

Smještanje u Južnu Koreju bilo je veći izazov

was a lot more challenging than I had expected.

nego što sam očekivala.

English was so important in South Korea,

Engleski je vrlo bitan u Južnojj Koreji,

so I had to start learning my third language.

pa sam počela učiti treći jezik.

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

Također sam shvatila da postoji veliki jaz

između Sjevera i Juga.

We are all Korean, but inside,

Svi smo mi Koreanci, ali iznutra,

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

postali smo vrlo različiti

zbog 67 godina podijele.

Čak sam prošla kroz krizu identiteta.

I even went through an identity crisis.

Am I South Korean or North Korean?

Jesam li ja Sjeverno ili Južno Koreanka?

Where am I from? Who am I?

Odakle sam ja? Tko sam ja?

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

Odjednom, više nije bilo zemlje

koju bih ponosno mogla zvati svojom.

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

Iako prilagodba na život u Južnoj Koreji nije bila lagana,

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

napravila sam plan.

Počela sam studirati za prijemni ispit.

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

Samo kako sam počela s novim živom,

I received a shocking phone call.

primila sam šokirajući telefonski poziv.

The North Korean authorities intercepted some money

Sjeverno Koreanske vlasti

prepriječile su nešto novaca koje sam poslala svojoj obitelji,

that I sent to my family,

i, kao kazna, moja obitelj je bila

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

prisiljena preseliti se

na opustošeno mjesto na selu.

to a desolate location in the countryside.

They had to get out quickly.

Morali su otići brzo,

So I started planning how to help them escape.

pa sam planirala novi plan kako im pomoći da pobjegnu.

North Koreans have to travel incredible distances

Sjeverno Koreanci moraju proputovati nevjerojatne udaljenosti

on the path to freedom.

na putu do slobode.

It's almost impossible to cross the border

Gotovo je nemoguće prijeći granicu

between North Korea and South Korea.

između Sjeverne i Južne Koreje,

So, ironically, I took a flight back to China

pa, ironično, uzela sam let natrag za Kinu

and headed toward the North Korean border.

i krenula sam prema Sjeverno Koreanskoj granici.

Kako moja obitelj ne govori Kineski,

Since my family couldn't speak Chinese,

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

morala sam ih učiti,

nekako, kroz više od 2 000 milja u Kini

in China, and then into Southeast Asia.

i onda u Sjevernoj Aziji.

Putovanje busom trajalo je tjedan dana,

The journey by bus took one week,

and we were almost caught several times.

i nekoliko puta smo gotovo bili uhvaćeni.

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

Jednom, naš je bus bio zaustavljen

i ušao je kineski policijski službenik.

He took everyone's I.D. cards,

Uzeo je od svakoga osobnu kartu,

and he started asking them questions.

i započeo s ispitivanjem.

Since my family couldn't understand Chinese,

Kako moja obitelj nije mogla razumjeti Kineski,

mislila sam da će biti uhićeni.

I thought my family was going to be arrested.

Kako se službenik približavao mojoj obitelji,

As the Chinese officer approached my family,

I impulsively stood up, and I told him

impulzivno sam ustala i rekla mu

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

da su ovo gluhi i nijemi ljudi

koje sam ja vodila.

He looked at me suspiciously,

Pogledao me sumnjivo,

but luckily, he believed me.

ali na sreću povjerovao mi je.

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

Uspjeli smo doći do granice Laos,

But I had to spend almost all my money

ali morala sam potroštiti gotovo sav novac

to bribe the border guards in Laos.

kako bih potkupila čuvare na granici u Laosu.

Iako smo uspjeli proći granicu,

But even after we got past the border,

my family was arrested and jailed for illegal border crossing.

moja je obitelj bila uhićena i zatvorena

zbog ilegalnog prijelaska granice.

After I paid the fine and bribe,

Nakon što sam platitla globu i mito,

my family was released in one month.

moja je obitelj bila oslobođena nakon mjesec dana,

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

ali ubrzo nakon toga ponovo su bili uhićeni i zatvoreni

in the capital of Laos.

u glavnom gradu Laosa.

This was one of the lowest points in my life.

To je bila jedna od mojih najtežih točaka u životu.

I did everything to get my family to freedom,

Učinila sam sve kako bih oslobodila obitelj,

and we came so close,

i došli smo tako blizu,

but my family was thrown in jail,

ali moja je obitelj bila bačena u zatvor

just a short distance from the South Korean embassy.

samo malo udaljen od Južno Korejske ambasade.

I went back and forth between the immigration office

Išla sam naprijed nazad između ureda za imigracije

and the police station,

i policijske postaje,

desperately trying to get my family out.

očajnički pokušavajući izvući svoju obitelj,

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

ali nisam više imala dovoljno novaca

kako bih platila globu ili mito.

I lost all hope.

Izgubila sam svu nadu.

Na trenutak, čula sam kako me muški glas pita

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

"What's wrong?"

"U čemu je problem?"

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

Bila sam iznenađena

kako je totalnom strancu stalo pitati.

In my broken English, and with a dictionary,

Sa svojim lošim engleskim i sa rječnikom,

I explained the situation, and without hesitating,

objasnila sam situaciju, i bez oklijevanja,

the man went to the ATM,

muškarac je otišao na bankomat

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

i platio ostatak novaca za moju obitelj

and two other North Koreans to get out of jail.

i dvoje ostalih Sjeverno Koreanaca kako bi izašli iz zatvora.

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

Zahvalila sam mu svim srcem, i onda sam ga upitala,

"Why are you helping me?"

"Zašto mi pomažeš?"

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

"Ne pomažem ti", rekao je.

"I'm helping the North Korean people."

"Pomažem ljudima iz Sjeverne Koreje".

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

Shvatila sam da je to bio značajan trenutak u mom životu.

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

Ljubazan stranac je simbolizirao nadu za mene

i ljude iz Sjeverne Koreje kada smo je trebali najviše,

when we needed it most.

And he showed me that the kindness of strangers

i pokazao mi je da dobrota stranca

and the support of the international community

i potpora međunarodne zajednice

su uistinu zrake nade koje mi, ljudi iz Sjeverne Koreje trebamo.

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

Eventually, after our long journey,

Na kraju, nakon našeg dugog putovanja,

my family and I were reunited in South Korea.

moja obitelj i ja sastali smo se u Južnoj Koreji.,

But getting to freedom is only half the battle.

ali doći do slobode je samo polovica bitke.

Many North Koreans are separated from their families,

Mnogo Sjeverno Koranaca su odvojeni od svojih obitelji,

and when they arrive in a new country,

i kada stignu u novu zemlju,

they start with little or no money.

započinju s malo ili bez novaca.

So we can benefit from the international community

Tako možemo imati koristi od međunarodne zajednice

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

za obrazovanje, učenje engleskog jezika,

osposobljavanja za posao i ostalo.

Možemo također djelovati kao most

We can also act as a bridge

between the people inside North Korea and the outside world.

između ljudi unutar Sjeverne Koreje

i vanjskog svijeta,

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

jer mnogi od nas ostaju u kontaktu

sa članovima obitelji koji su još tamo,,

and we send information and money

i šaljemo informacije i novac

that is helping to change North Korea from inside.

koji pomažu promijeniti Sjevernu Koreu iznutra.

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

Ja sam imala toliko sreće, primila sam toliko puno pomoći

i inspiracije u svom životu,

so I want to help give aspiring North Koreans

pa želim pomoći Sjeverno Koreancima koji to žele

a chance to prosper with international support.

šansu za napredovanje

sa međunarodnom potporom.

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

Uvjerena sam da ćete vidjeti više i više

Sjeverno Koreanaca kako uspjevaju u cijelom svijetu,

succeeding all over the world,

including the TED stage.

uključujući TED pozornicu.

Thank you.

Hvala Vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)