Park Yeon-mi Quotes

Park Yeon-mi

Profession : Activist

Birth : October 4, 1993

North Korea is a religion. We are told that Kim is a god and that he knows what you are thinking and how many hairs are on your head. It is the only country which talks about 'thought crime' - even thinking is a crime.

Park Yeon-mi

North Korea was pretty insane. Like the first thing my mom taught me was don't even whisper, the birds and mice could hear me. She told me the most dangerous thing that I had in my body was my tongue.

Park Yeon-mi

I learnt about the universe. I learnt about human rights and human dignity - this was so new to me.

Park Yeon-mi

North Korea is an unimaginable country. We aren't free to sing, say, wear or think what we want.

Park Yeon-mi

In North Korea, people who are actually oppressed don't even know they're oppressed.

Park Yeon-mi

I don't think I will ever understand what freedom means, but I am enjoying learning.

Park Yeon-mi

We don't have friends in North Korea. We only have comrades. There's no concept of friends.

Park Yeon-mi

Kim Jong-un and the regime don't just oppress - they play with human lives.

Park Yeon-mi

I wasn't dreaming of freedom when I escaped from North Korea... I was willing to risk my life for the promise of a bowl of rice.

Park Yeon-mi

In North Korea I thought a frozen potato was the fanciest food in the world.

Park Yeon-mi

Risking your life is not an easy thing to do.

Park Yeon-mi

My concern is: How on earth is anything more urgent than the lives of people in North Korean concentration camps?

Park Yeon-mi

What you need to know about North Korea is that it's not like other countries like Iran or Cuba. In those countries, you have some kind of understanding that they are abnormal, they are isolated and the people are not safe. But North Korea has been so completely purged from the rest of the world, it's literally a Hermit Kingdom.

Park Yeon-mi

I came to South Korea with a feeling of deep kinship, but people here perceive me only as a talbukja, someone of a different nationality.

Park Yeon-mi

I didn't know what freedom was. I didn't even know the word. I didn't know the concept. I never heard of that word, 'freedom.' To me, the happiest thing was having food.

Park Yeon-mi

Reading 'Animal Farm' set me free from the dictatorship in my head. I could see all the tactics used by the regime to control us - they were all in that book.

Park Yeon-mi

I'm extremely grateful I was born in North Korea. If that didn't happen, there's no way I could understand other people's pain.

Park Yeon-mi

When I saw my father's death it was not human, he was less better than an animal and I didn't want the end of my life to be like that.

Park Yeon-mi

When I was in South Korea, the books that I read about Americans were actually Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama. If this country actually oppresses people and enslaves the people, how are those two women billionaires?

Park Yeon-mi

The media's censorship is unthinkable... If we don't stop, we are going to end up like North Koreans.

Park Yeon-mi