Hyeonseo Lee shares her perilous escape from North Korea
CBC Radio | Posted: July 15, 2015 11:36 AM | Last Updated: July 15, 2015
From the moment I was born, I was fed propaganda. I viewed the Kim dynasty not only as our fearless protectors from the imperialist forces, but also as gods.
- North Korean defector Hyeonseo Lee
Hyeonseo Lee grew up believing she lived in the greatest country on earth. It was a common belief in North Korea. And her childhood there was a fairly typical one.
She watched her first execution when she was seven years old. She helped dig tunnels in case of a nuclear attack. And she denounced her own friends for their anti-government transgressions.
But everything changed when Hyeonseo Lee was 17 years old. She escaped from North Korea, and began learning how to see the world anew.
It's a process she's still coming to terms with today... and one she describes in her new memoir, "The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story."
Hyeonseo Lee was in our Toronto studio.
This segment was produced by The Current Marc Apollonio and Pacinthe Mattar.
RELATED LINKS