‘We had to find our own way to survive’ Refugee shares story of life in North Korea

KATHERINE WU Online Editor

North Korean refugee Grace Jo visited Algonquin on Feb. 7 to discuss her experiences growing up in North Korea, fleeing to China and ultimately finding refuge in America.

Jo was born in North Korea during the Great Famine of the ’90s to a middle-class family and lived in a small village in the mountains. She fled the country when she was 7 years old and stayed in China for 10 years before escaping to the United States.

During her time in North Korea, Jo endured starvation, threats and loss of family members at the hands of the oppressive government.

“Our middle class family, we were not able to get the supplies from the government,” Jo said. “We had to find our own way to survive in the country…In the beginning, we struggled a lot and we were starving, and we were drinking only cold water for 10 days, without any food.”

Social Studies teacher Gina Johnston invited Jo to speak after guest speaker Daniel Di Martino’s February 2022 presentation about socialism in Venezuela had sparked controversy.

“Last year, people didn’t believe how bad socialism is in Venezuela,” Johnston said. “When [Di Martino] was speaking, we had people that were like, ‘oh, it’s not that bad in Venezuela.’ But when you talk about North Korea, everyone knows their government is really bad to their people.”

While juniors were required to attend Jo’s presentation, it was open for all students who were interested in listening. Johnston believes all students can benefit from hearing stories like Jo’s.

“Human rights issues should cover every curriculum,” Johnston said. “When it’s something as a human rights violation, it’s okay to miss a day of class.”

One of Jo’s earliest memories was when her father illegally crossed the Chinese border for food from their distant relatives. Once government officials found out about these trips, Jo’s life began to change forever.

“The third time [he crossed the border], when he returned the next morning, one of the people in the village found out, and they reported my father to the government,” Jo said. “Those officers…they were collecting everything and taking it away from us.”

After enduring loss after loss, Jo’s mother decided there had to be better opportunities out there and Jo fled to China with her mother and sister. According to Jo, she first realized the difference between life in North Korea and the rest of the world after seeing a dog.

“He was fed by one of the big containers, mixed with white rice and pork meat soup,” Jo said. “The dog was smelling it a little bit and he didn’t like it, so he was standing there…I was so curious about this world. We were fighting so hard; my father died and we were trying to look for food so hard, and my brother and my grandmother died without one single potato to eat. But that dog doesn’t like to eat that white rice and meat soup, and the owner is giving that good rice and meat soup to the dog.”

Jo was repatriated and imprisoned in China twice, and she received the initial encouragement to share her story during one of these prison stays.

“I was in the Chinese prison for 13 months and I met so many ladies,” Jo said. “One of the ladies, she came to me and told me…it’s time for them to go back to North Korea, so they’re going back, but they know they will not be able to survive and come back again. But she had a feeling that I would survive. So she said, ‘if you go out from this difficult moment and have freedom, please tell the world that North Koreans are suffering and dying. And even though I will die, I will not regret it because people will remember us.’”

Johnston hopes students will be inspired by Jo’s message and use it to expand their worldviews.

“Hopefully they learn what life is like beyond our borders,” Johnston said. “None of us can travel to North Korea. And they can’t travel here. So it would be amazing for [students] just to take one thing and go, oh my goodness…we’re just so used to our life that we have no idea about the world beyond ours.”

Currently, Jo attends Savannah College of Art and Design and is majoring in interior design.

“I’m hoping to become a great interior designer later and go back to my country and rebuild the villages and cities,” Jo said.

Jo urges students to hear her story and cherish their rights.

“[In America,] I can dream about my future life,” Jo said. “Please protect the freedom in your country.”

This article was published in Feb. 2023 on arhsharbinger.com.