around the same time, I saw like

Pretty Woman and Titanic

so… that’s why…

You know what?!

I saw it!!!

Is that it?! Is that it?!

My name is Yeonmi Park.

I was born in North Korea.

I escaped when I was 13 years old.

You know, it was a time where I had to decide

whether I wanted to die on the street,

like my father, you know, of starvation,

or do I want to risk my life

where there was a glimpse of hope

that I can make it to China.

Life in China was harder than life in North Korea.

If I was caught in China,

I would've been sent back to North Korea,

or I can be killed.

My main concern was to survive,

to find food for the next meal,

because I wanted to see my sister again.

North Korean girls, just like me,

are being sold in China.

My friend got sold into a town, a Chinese town,

and all the men were just sharing her.

And it’s not even like, just…

they shared her as just an animal, or less than that.

There are so many North Korean defectors

who are still hiding in China,

who are still struggling and suffering

Even though they want to run away,

they don’t know where they have to go.

So this is a big problem.

After LiNK helped me escape China,

I had the opportunity to come to America.

Nowadays, I think, whenever I decide

my major or my job,

I think, “Oh, this is freedom!"

I finished high school and

I am currently attending college.

And last year, I even had the privilege

to share my story at TED.

Today I’m free but,

all my relatives and friends are still not free.

If we work together

we can give more North Korean refugees

the opportunity we have.

I believe that we can change

North Koreans’ lives in so many ways.

We can’t do this alone.

We need everyone to stand

and face this problem with us,

together.