It's a long story so I'll try to make it short.
Well I was born in Pyongyang and I lived there 
until when I was 10.
My father made a mistake 1997 saying there is no hope in North Korea to my family.
And then that sentence was reported by-
reported to the government by
his colleague.
So that's why my entire family was expelled to different city which is called Yongsan located in
the northern part of North Korea.
Then we stayed there together for about a year, well
I was really shocked because when I was
in Pyongyang, North Korea is the best
country in the world, and the
strongest country in the world, but I-
the reality was totally different
because I saw a beggars on the street
and then the condition of house was so
bad.
So I questioned my father, "What's going on here, are we in still in North Korea?"
He said, "Oh yeah. Yes this is the reality
for North Korea."
But I was really too young to understand the
reality so I- and then there I I watched
a public execution because one day I
went to school and then principal at the
school announced that entire
school will will go to public execution
site to watch public execution.
I was really shocked because when I was in
Pyongyang I never heard that and then we
went there, there was two criminals so called in
North Korean side so they were shot.
They were shot by police
officers and then my father decided to move,
decided to go to China for food in
1998 and then my father left home and
then he didn't come back and then my mom
also left her home, left the home
for the same reason and then since then,
where she- since then I don't know where she is now.
So I'm still I'm looking for her, that's why I'm working with Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights.
For- to rescue North Korean defectors
suffering in China.
And then I spent four years on the street with my friends and my main business was pickpocketing.
Yeah pickpocketing was my main business so
because I mean that that time was-
I didn't have any choice.
So during the day we went to markets
to steal something from merchants, also we
helped the merchants and then during the
night we went to the train station to
sleep over there.
And there was- there
was a prayer every night before going to sleep,
"We want to see more dead bodies next morning."
Because in the morning usually a police officers come
to a train station and then they kick
the people who is sleeping and then
they're usually there are two dead
bodies every morning and
then the police officer picked us,
"Guys you have to move these bodies to a certain place."
And we had to move the dead bodies to a certain place, then they'd give us like bread, corn bread.
So that's why our prayer was like that, "We want to see more dead bodies next morning."
So I spent four years on the street and I lost two brothers, two friends on the street.
1999 his name was Jim Yong-Cher, and 2001 his name- I lost another one, his name was Yong Bum.
And then my father, he got the South Korea.
He managed to come to South Korea in 1999, and then he tried to bring me to South Korea sending brokers.
So my father's sent a broker, he sent for seven
brokers to North Korea.
Seventh broker found me in North Korea and then I
crossed the border with him.
The first broker bribed the soldier who was protecting the border, so money talks even in North Korea.
And then I went to China
by crossing the border, the river, I swam across-
I swam, and then I went to Yanji
which Chinese city, a Chinese city in China.
And then I met another broker,
he made a South Korean fake passport so
my father pay a lot of money on me to
bring me to South Korea.
So it was 25,000 US dollars, that time it was a 2002 so
whenever I made a mistake in front of my
father he kept saying, "Son you were
really expensive, remember? Don't screw it up.
Study hard."
So and then I went to a airport and then there was a
woman who was checking passports, she was
a broker as well I went to first gate and
then she was, she looked at my
passport and she gave me a sign you go.
So she was she was part of broker, broker
group and then I got to South Korea and
then I saw my father.
Between that it was a long story- so I met my father and then we cried.
And then and then I try to adjust the South Korea.
I finished my studies-
went to high school there, and then I
also went to university there, and then I
complete my bachelor in South Korea,
bachelor degree in South Korea.
Also I went- I did MA in United Kingdom on
scholarship UK government and also I
will starts my PhD program this
September in the United States on a
Fulbright scholarship, so I will go to
George Mason for a study in
conflict analysis and resolution from this September.
So I really thank U.S. citizens because I mean, I'm studying on your money, thank you.
