Audrey Park
Audrey Park: Story of a North Korean Defector
I was born in North Hamgyeong Province in North Korea. Being born and raised in a country like North Korea means living an unpredictable and challenging life. When I was ten, for the first time, I crossed the border between North Korea and China with my mother in order to seek food; when I was eleven, I was repatriated by the Chinese police to North Korea. By the age of fifteen, I had faced repatriation three times and lived in North Korean labor camps for many months. When I was seventeen, I crossed the freezing cold Gobi Desert in Mongolia in order to seek asylum. Finally, in 2006, after crossing a thousand miles to freedom, I became a citizen of the Republic of Korea and since then I have been enjoying a safe life.
Speaking of my life in Seoul was not easy and sometimes I even felt very hopeless; however, because of the help from many humble people, I have found my great purpose and had the courage to move forward. Currently, I have finished my Master’s Degree in Politics, focusing on the issue of immigration and refugees. I know I could not achieve so much without the encouragement from my beloved family and friends.
1. Going to Canada and my Life in Canada
In 2016, I had a great opportunity going to Canada as the first female pioneer of Hanvoice Pioneer Project. In the beginning, it was another new challenge for me and I was filled with fear and uncertainties. I still remember how excited I was when I received an email from HanVoice saying, “congratulations! You are this year’s pioneer!”. But at the same time, I was very worried about interning on Parliament Hill. I knew little about Canadian politics. I was not sure if Canadians would welcome North Koreans and be interested in my stories. I still remember I had no idea how to introduce myself at the first meeting on Parliament Hill.
However, looking back on my journey in Canada, I have come to the conclusion that my very first fears were un- founded. Everyone I met in Canada treated me with sincerity and love. I was blessed to meet many inspirational leaders, such as Senator Yonah Martin, who deeply cares and loves North Korean people. Completion of the parliamentary internship could not be achieved without the generous donation and support from the Korean community across Canada.
As a city of politics and governance, not only has Ottawa allowed me to meet inspirational leaders, but also provided me with the opportunities to meet young professionals working for the government. I feel so grateful that I have learned a lot about the Canadian government, such as the work environment and bureaucratic system. Canada has beautiful nature by its-self. I really appreciated and enjoyed the Canadian natural scenery during my time in Canada. The Rideau Canal was a resting space to me that I would go for a walk during my spare time. I really enjoyed seeing the beautiful sunset from Confederation Park in downtown, Ottawa. I especially enjoyed seeing the snow piling on the ground. It reminded me of my hometown and my childhood of sledding with my younger sister, which I can still recall how excited we were even though we did not have proper winter coats and shoes. The presence of the snow in Canada was enough to make us happy and overcome the freezing cold. I love Canadian winter and I will miss it a lot !
2. Love Canada and thank Canadians!
During the Canadian Parliament Internship, one of the greatest things that I experienced was to meet the Korean War Veterans. It was my great honour meeting with them and hearing their experience first-hand. When I was in Korea, there was no way that I could know how deeply Canadians loved Korean people that they were willing to sacrifice their lives on the Korean peninsula. I was very amazed by the stories of Imjin Hockey game in 1951 and the bloody battle of Hill 355. Korean War Veterans again reminded me of the undeniable truth – Freedom is not free.
One of the major purposes of the Hanvoice Pioneer Project is to raise the awareness of North Korean human rights issues among Canadians; therefore, I had the privilege of testifying to the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights as well as the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. Through sharing my stories of living through the Great Famine, facing human trafficking and repatriations in China, I have seen the willingness of Canadian political leaders to help North Koreans. Their support assures me of hope for North Korean people and encourages me to continue working on this important matter.
I would like to thank the Ottawa Korean community for coming out to support the HanVoice concert. I wish thank to the HanVoice university chapters -Western, Queens, U-Toronto, York for organizing events as well as the Chinese Students’ Magazine of the U-Toronto for giving me the opportunity to reach out to the Chinese speaking community.
I am so proud and thankful of HanVoice executives and board members because their dedication and commitment made the HanVoice Pioneer Project successful long lasting. I also would like to extend my best wishes and gratitude to Korean Canadian Women’s Association. I thank them for having me volunteer at the office. Each of them is a true inspiration to me.
Related links:
A moving video of Audrey Park speaking of her experience by HanVoice.