I had to be very unrealistic about my situation. If I was so realistic I would never have made it this far.… — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
If I could've had the things that Americans throw away, I never would've escaped North Korea. That's how much we were desperate. — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
Most North Korean people have never seen a map of the world. They don't even know that the Internet exists. They don't… — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
People would ask me about my hobbies and what I liked. I had never been asked those questions because what I thought… — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
I really had loving parents, and my father was the example of perseverance... he never gave up, and he taught me it's… — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
I never heard my father telling my mother that he loved her. And my mother never told me she loved me, either. — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
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… — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
I never used a translator, never thought that the journalists might not understand. — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
I never asked to be a spokesperson or public figure. It just happened. — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
Going to Columbia, the first thing I learned was 'safe space.' Every problem, they explained us, is because of white men. — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
I was a slave. I was sold in China in 2007 as a child at 13 years old. — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
If there is no word that means you don't have the concept. In North Korea they eliminate the words: depression, stress, dictatorship, human rights.… — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
My favorite movies were 'Titanic,' 'James Bond' and 'Pretty Woman' - people smuggled in pirate copies from China. — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
Kim Jong-un and the regime don't just oppress - they play with human lives. — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
My father died without knowing even this kind of democracy exists in the world. He didn't even know this much food was available in… — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
That is what is happening in America. People see things, but still they've just completely lost the ability to think critically. — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
North Korea is a religion. We are told that Kim is a god and that he knows what you are thinking and how many… — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
I had to be very unrealistic about my situation. If I was so realistic I would never have made it this far. So, you… — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
I thought North Koreans were the only people who hated Americans, but turns out there are a lot of people hating this country in… — Park Yeon-mi Copy Share Image
