North Korean refugee in South Korea recalls her moving story in Delhi, pens book

Braving tears, Songmi, co-author of 'Greenlight to Freedom: A North Korean Daughter's Search for Her Mother & Herself', in an interactive session held at the Korean Cultural Centre India (KCCI) , opened up about the ordeals she faced in the past.

New Delhi: North Korea-born Songmi Han, who fled that country in 2011 in search of her mother and a better life, on Thursday recalled her arduous and painful journey during which she traversed through China and two other countries before finding refuge in South Korea.

Braving tears, Songmi, co-author of 'Greenlight to Freedom: A North Korean Daughter's Search for Her Mother & Herself', in an interactive session held at the Korean Cultural Centre India (KCCI) here, opened up about the ordeals she faced in the past.

Songmi escaped to South Korea in 2011, following her mother, who had left North Korea prior to her "for a better future" for the family.

The young woman who kept her identity as a North Korean refugee "hidden until 2022" and had become emotionally withdrawn after the hardships she faced on way to South Korea, is now a public speaker and shares her life story bravely with people.

On Thursday at a hall at KCCI, she did exactly that, recalling the travails she faced after fleeing North Korea and before reaching Seoul.

Songmi was born in Geumya-gun, Bongsan-ri in the centre of North Korea about 240 kilometres (150 miles) from the capital of Pyongyang. She escaped from North Korea in 2011, and settled in South Korea later that year.

Seoul-based Casey Lartigue, who hails from the US, co-authored the 2022 book with Songmi. He is currently the co-chairman of Freedom Speakers International (FSI), a civil society that works with North Korean refugees.

Lartigue said Songmi's journey in 2011 took her from North Korea to China to Laos and then Thailand and finally to South Korea.

Songmi during the interaction recalled how in cold weather she had to traverse through mountainous terrains, icy lakes and leave her native country with security personnel and dog snapping at her heels.

"I used to carry a knife with myself. I had decided that if I were to be caught, I would end my life, so (that) they couldn't get to my family. Many times I felt I need to leave the place, but finally I got the strength to do so, and fled in search of my mother and a better life," she said.

According to KCCI, Songmi is currently a college student, studying social welfare. She loves cooking and hopes to open a North Korean restaurant one day.

Hyo-shim Maeng, another North Korean refugee shared her story.

She fled North Korea with her parents in June 2018 in search of freedom and human rights.

"She frequently addresses the plight of disabled individuals in North Korea, sharing her personal experiences as the daughter of a polio survivor who faced constant discrimination. Since becoming a keynote speaker for Freedom Speakers International (FSI) in early 2022, she has delivered speeches worldwide, including at the U.S. Department of State, the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, and Harvard University," the KCCI said in a statement.

Both wore saree during the press interaction.