“These birthdays were national holidays and all children were given treats and candies. From our youngest years we associated the Great Leader and Dear Leader with gifts and excitement in the way that children in the West think of Santa… — Hyeonseo Lee Copy Share Image
“The strength of my parents’ feelings for each other, however, was a worry to my grandmother. She warned them that if a couple loved… — Hyeonseo Lee Copy Share Image
“It was the dilemma all three of us had. Every choice we made cut us off permanently from someone we loved.” — Hyeonseo Lee Copy Share Image
“This was the first time I had ever known that North Korea has gay people. I am embarrassed to admit that I had thought… — Hyeonseo Lee Copy Share Image
“There was just one problem, however, and it was a major one. I wasn’t choosing any of this. It was all happening to me.” — Hyeonseo Lee Copy Share Image
“Most of the brokers who help defectors are human traffickers. They help women escape, not men. They’re paid to bring us to China either… — Hyeonseo Lee Copy Share Image
“I had to learn Mandarin. And I had the best teacher – necessity. You can study a language for years at school, but nothing… — Hyeonseo Lee Copy Share Image
“In her world, the law was upside down. People had to break the law to live. The prohibition on drug-dealing, a serious crime in… — Hyeonseo Lee Copy Share Image
“I’ll do whatever it takes. Humans are selfish and care only for themselves and their families. Am I any different?… Not only did I… — Hyeonseo Lee Copy Share Image
“Not only did I believe that humans were selfish and base, I also knew that plenty of them were actually bad – content to… — Hyeonseo Lee Copy Share Image
“Sixty thousand yuan – a fortune representing ten years’ wages at the restaurant – and a week’s imprisonment with the threat of rape, and… — Hyeonseo Lee Copy Share Image
“Every so often the authorities registered voters in order to find out who was missing and why. I had turned eighteen and was old… — Hyeonseo Lee Copy Share Image
