Yeonmi Park: Humanizing The North Korea Problem

North Korea is one of the most repressive regimes in the world and their tensions with other nations (including last summer’s talks of war with South Korea) are well-known. Less discussed is North Korea’s human rights record–and those who choose to flee for their lives. 21-year-old Yeonmi Park is one of many who have defected, but her story has received international attention because of the personal attacks she’s faced from her former government and her outspoken human rights advocacy. In Order to Live chronicles the oppression, starvation, and persecution she faced in North Korea–and why she risked her life for freedom. She’ll share some of the horrors she witnessed–public executions, abductions, rapes, and censorship–and why she’ll keep fighting until all North Koreans are safe. In her own words, “North Koreans are desperately seeking and dying for freedom, at this moment;” she’ll offer a rallying cry for the education, refugee support, and international pressure needed to put a stop to it.