Yeonmi Park was born in North Korea in 1993, escaped to China in 2007 and settled in South Korea in 2009. She rose to global prominence after she delivered an emotional speech at the One Young World 2014 Summit in Dublin, Ireland, calling on the world to help the millions of people suffering at the hands of the North Korean regime. Her speech received 50 million views in two days on YouTube and social media Then she said, 'Did you know those writers had a colonial mindset? They were racists and bigots and are subconsciously brainwashing you." Update 15 June 2021. NYPost Jane Austen is getting cancelled! Yeonmi Park says that freedom in the US is going the way of North Korea - she is now in Columbia university From her appearance on the scene in late 2014—with an emotional speech at the One Young World Summit in Dublin that went viral on You Tube—Yeonmi Park has managed to stir a surprising amount of controversy. Early coverage in The Diplomat by Mary Ann Joley ( here) and John Power ( here) —the latter citing critics such as Michael Bassett and Felix Abt—focused on the consistency of the narrative. These details even included basics such as who in the family escaped when and what she actually witnessed in North Korea (dead bodies in streets, rivers and the courtyards of hospitals; public executions). I hope Yeonmi never gives up telling her story, as painful as it may be. She has now been thrust into a life of meaning and she should never stop pursuing justice. She is not only a voice for the North Korean people, but she’s a reminder to the west of what we have and what we need to protect: democracy.

Kudos, Madam Park for this honest portrayal of the pains of your motherland and trying to recalibrate in a society only too happy to pile on the criticism. You are monumentally strong for all you have seen and weathered. I hope you will provide a follow-up in the years to come. I recommend Yeonmi's book to all asylums and refugees and all Americans especially the young generation to have some awareness about what is going on in the world so they appreciate what a great country they have and I should say we have because I am a proud US citizen and I love my second home country. I felt the truth of those words echoing inside me. I understand that sometimes the only way we can survive our own memories is to shape them into a story that makes sense out of events that seem inexplicable.Sahakian, Teny (14 June 2021). "North Korean defector says 'even North Korea was not this nuts' after attending Ivy League school". Fox News . Retrieved 15 June 2021. In passing she is also mentioning having an abortion, but it probably isn't that important in the grand scheme of things. Further claims about North Korea made by Park were debunked by Professor Andrei Lankov, including Park's claims that North Koreans do not have access to world maps, and that North Koreans are not taught basic maths including "1+1=2". [3]

a b c d Gupta, Priyanka. "Escaping North Korea: one refugee's story". www.aljazeera.com . Retrieved 25 September 2015.

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Brown, Isabel (22 September 2021). "On The Frontlines With Special Guest, Yeonmi Park". Turning Point USA . Retrieved 10 October 2022.

I never expect a biography or memoir to be 100% true - memory is simply not that reliable. As someone who has experienced various forms of assault I also understand if some things have only recently come out because she was ashamed or uncomfortable talking about them. Abrams, A.B. (2023). Atrocity Fabrication and its Consequences. Atlanta, United States: Clarity Press. p.319. ISBN 978-1-949762-70-9.I am most grateful for two things: that I was born in North Korea, and that I escaped from North Korea." - Yeonmi Park Questions have been raised about the accuracy of some parts of her narrative and inconsistencies in details. For example, whether it was true, as she describes in the book, that her family was so close to starvation that she and her elder sister would forage in the countryside for “wild plants and insects to fill our stomachs”, and her father would eat snow to fill himself. Following the publication of her memoir, Park "began presenting a far more harrowing description of life in North Korea than she had shared with South Korean TV fans", according to The Washington Post. [3] Experts on North Korea noted that Park had shifted the tone of her portrayal of life in North Korea following her jump from reality television to speaking at human rights conferences, going from claiming to have lived a life of luxury to claiming to have never seen eggs or indoor toilets. [3] Veracity of claims [ edit ]

Park has claimed that both her mother and father had served prison sentences for alleged crimes in North Korea but her recollection differs from her mother's. [7] Park said in an interview that she initially believed her father's sentence was seventeen to eighteen years, but that North Korean records indicated it was eleven years. [38] Park's mother stated he was initially sentenced to one year that was extended to ten. [7] Park’s remarkable and inspiring story shines a light on a country whose inhabitants live in misery beyond comprehension. Park’s important memoir showcases the strength of the human spirit and one young woman’s incredible determination to never be hungry again.” —Publishers Weekly But while Park's moral authority as political pundit rests on her experience as a refugee from an authoritarian pariah state, she has been dogged for years by accusations that some of her more lurid tales of state vengeance and extreme societal decay don't add up. Scholars on North Korea who are skeptical of Park say she's symptomatic of a booming market for horror stories from the cloistered nation that they believe encourages some “celebrity” defectors to spin increasingly outlandish claims." [3] Park’s narrative chronicles the pair’s harrowing ordeal over two years when they were exploited by Chinese marriage brokers. It took another dangerous journey, walking across the Gobi desert at night, in sub zero temperatures, to escape into Mongolia and subsequently to South Korea.FMI Public Speaker Series Featuring North Korean Defector Yeonmi Park". Events@Rawls . Retrieved 3 May 2021. Books like these are the reason I read. I love having my eyes and world open. They motivate me to make a difference and a change, even if I can only contribute in small ways. I'm a Special Education Teacher that teaches high schoolers with cognitive/intellectual disabilities and I started a book club about diversity. Both of these things are small but they help me feel like I'm making even a small difference.