TED2013
Hyeonseo Lee: My escape from North Korea
Hyeonseo Lee: Moj bijeg iz Sjeverne Koreje
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Odrastajući u Sjevernoj Koreji, Hyeonseo Lee je mislila da je njena zemlja "najbolja na planeti". Počela se pitati tek kad je zemlju zahvatila glad u devedesetim. Pobjegla je iz zemlje u dobi od 14 kada je započela život skrivanja kao izbjeglica u Kini. Ovo je mučna, lična priča o preživljavanju i nadi - te moćan podsjetnik na one koji se neprestano nalaze u opasnosti, čak i kada uspiju prijeći granicu.
Hyeonseo Lee - Activist
As a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee thoght her country was the "best on the planet." It wasn't until the famine of the 90s that she began to wonder. She escaped the country at 17-years-old to begin a life in hiding as a refugee in China. Hers is a harrowing, personal tale of survival and hope -- and a powerful reminder of those who face constant danger, even when the border is far behind. Full bio
As a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee thoght her country was the "best on the planet." It wasn't until the famine of the 90s that she began to wonder. She escaped the country at 17-years-old to begin a life in hiding as a refugee in China. Hers is a harrowing, personal tale of survival and hope -- and a powerful reminder of those who face constant danger, even when the border is far behind. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:16
When I was little,
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Dok sam bila mala,
00:17
I thought my country was the best on the planet,
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mislila sam da je moja zemlja najbolja na svijetu
00:20
and I grew up singing a song called "Nothing To Envy."
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i odrasla sam pjevajući pjesmu koja se zove "Ne zavidim na ničemu".
00:24
And I was very proud.
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Bila sam jako ponosna.
00:26
In school, we spent a lot of time
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U školi smo mnogo vremena provodili
00:28
studying the history of Kim Il-Sung,
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učeći historiju Kim II-Sunga,
00:30
but we never learned much about the outside world,
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ali nikad nismo previše učili o ostatku svijeta,
00:34
except that America, South Korea, Japan are the enemies.
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osim da su Amerika, Južna Koreja i Japan neprijatelji.
00:39
Although I often wondered about the outside world,
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Iako sam često razmišljala o svijetu van Sjeverne Koreje,
00:42
I thought I would spend my entire life in North Korea,
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mislila sam da ću tu provesti cijeli život,
00:46
until everything suddenly changed.
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dok se sve iznenada nije promjenilo.
00:50
When I was seven years old, I saw my first public execution,
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Sa sedam godina sam prvi put vidjela javno pogubljenje,
00:55
but I thought my life in North Korea was normal.
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ali sam mislila da je moj život u Sjevernoj Koreji normalan.
00:58
My family was not poor,
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Moja obitelj nije bila siromašna
01:00
and myself, I had never experienced hunger.
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i ja osobno nikad nisam iskusila glad.
01:04
But one day, in 1995, my mom brought home a letter
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Jednog dana, 1995. moja je majka kući donijela pismo
01:08
from a coworker's sister.
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od sestre kolege s posla.
01:10
It read, "When you read this, all five family members
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Pisalo je: "Kada ovo budete čitali, nitko od pet članova obitelji
01:15
will not exist in this world,
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neće više postojati na ovom svijetu,
01:18
because we haven't eaten for the past two weeks.
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jer nismo jeli posljednjih par sedmica.
01:22
We are lying on the floor together,
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Ležimo na podu zajedno,
01:25
and our bodies are so weak we are ready to die."
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a naša tijela su tako slaba da smo spremni umrijeti."
01:33
I was so shocked.
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Bila sam šokirana.
01:37
This was the first time I heard
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To je bio prvi put da čujem
01:39
that people in my country were suffering.
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da ljudi u mojoj zemlji pate.
01:43
Soon after, when I was walking past a train station,
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Ubrzo potom, dok sam prolazila pored željezničke stanice,
01:46
I saw something terrible
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vidjela sam nešto užasno,
01:48
that I can't erase from my memory.
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što ne mogu izbrisati iz sjećanja.
01:52
A lifeless woman was lying on the ground,
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Beživotno tijelo žene je ležalo na tlu
01:55
while an emaciated child in her arms
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dok je mršavo dijete u njenim rukama
01:58
just stared helplessly at his mother's face.
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bespomoćno buljilo u majčino lice.
02:02
But nobody helped them, because they were so focused
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Nitko im nije pomogao, jer su svi bili fokusirani
02:07
on taking care of themselves and their families.
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na brigu o sebi i svojim obiteljima.
02:11
A huge famine hit North Korea in the mid-1990s.
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Velika glad je pogodila Sjevernu Koreju sredinom devedesetih.
02:15
Ultimately, more than a million North Koreans
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Konačno, vise od milion Korejaca
02:18
died during the famine, and many only survived
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je umrlo tijekom perioda gladi, a mnogi su preživjeli
02:21
by eating grass, bugs and tree bark.
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samo zato što su jeli travu, kukce i koru drveća.
02:27
Power outages also became more and more frequent,
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Nestanci struje su postali sve cešći
02:30
so everything around me was completely dark at night
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i noću je sve postajalo potpuno mračno
02:35
except for the sea of lights in China,
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osim mora svijetla u Kini,
02:37
just across the river from my home.
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upravo preko puta rijeke pored moje kuće.
02:40
I always wondered why they had lights but we didn't.
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Uvijek sam se pitala zašto oni imaju svjetla, a mi nemamo.
02:45
This is a satellite picture showing North Korea at night
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Ovo je satelitska snimka Sjeverne Koreje noću
02:49
compared to neighbors.
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u poredbi sa susjedima.
02:53
This is the Amrok River,
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Ovo je rijeka Amrok,
02:55
which serves as a part of the border
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koja služi kao dio granice
02:57
between North Korea and China.
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između Sjeverne Koreje i Kine.
03:00
As you can see, the river can be very narrow
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Kao što vidite, rijeka može biti jako uska
03:02
at certain points, allowing North Koreans to secretly cross.
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na određenim mjestima sto omogućava Korejancima da tajno prelaze.
03:08
But many die.
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Ali mnogi umru.
03:10
Sometimes, I saw dead bodies floating down the river.
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Ponekad bih vidjela leševe kako plutaju rijekom.
03:17
I can't reveal many details [about] how I left North Korea,
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Ne mogu otkriti previše detalja o tome kako sam napustila Sjevernu Koreju
03:22
but I only can say that during the ugly years of the famine
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ali mogu reći da sam tijekom gadnih godina gladi
03:27
I was sent to China to live with distant relatives.
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poslana u Kinu da živim s daljom rodbinom.
03:32
But I only thought
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Mislila sam
03:34
that I would be separated from my family for a short time.
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da ću kratko biti odvojena od obitelji.
03:38
I could have never imagined
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Nisam mogla ni zamisliti
03:40
that it would take 14 years to live together.
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da ce proći 14 godina dok ne budemo živjeli zajedno.
03:44
In China, it was hard living as a young girl without my family.
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Kao mladoj djevojci u Kini bilo mi je teško živjeti bez moje obitelji.
03:48
I had no idea what life was going to be like
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Nisam imala pojma kakav će mi biti život
03:52
as a North Korean refugee,
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kao izbjeglice iz Sjeverne Koreje
03:54
but I soon learned it's not only extremely difficult,
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ali uskoro sam shvatila da je ne samo jako težak,
03:57
it's also very dangerous,
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nego i opasan
04:00
since North Korean refugees are considered in China
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jer se Izbjeglice iz Sjeverne Koreje u Kini smatraju
04:05
as illegal migrants.
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ilegalnim migrantima.
04:08
So I was living in constant fear
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Živjela sam u konstantnom strahu
04:10
that my identity could be revealed,
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da bi moj identitet mogao biti otkriven
04:12
and I would be repatriated to a horrible fate
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i da ću biti vraćena užasnoj sudbini
04:16
back in North Korea.
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nazad u Sjevernu Koreju.
04:18
One day, my worst nightmare came true,
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Jednog se dana moja najgora noćna mora ostvarila
04:21
when I was caught by the Chinese police
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kada me uhvatila kineska policija
04:24
and brought to the police station for interrogation.
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i dovela u policijsku stanicu na ispitivanje.
04:28
Someone had accused me of being North Korean,
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Netko me optužio da sam Sjevernokorejka
04:31
so they tested my Chinese language abilities
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pa su testirali moje poznavanje kineskog jezika
04:35
and asked me tons of questions.
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i postavili mi gomilu pitanja.
04:38
I was so scared,
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Bila sam tako uplašena
04:41
I thought my heart was going to explode.
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da sam mislila da će mi eksplodirati srce.
04:44
If anything seemed unnatural, I could be imprisoned
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Ako se nešto učini neprirodnim, mogla bih biti zarobljena
04:47
and repatriated.
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i vraćena u domovinu.
04:49
I thought my life was over,
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Mislila sam da je moj život završen
04:52
but I managed to control all the emotions inside me
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ali sam uspjela kontrolirati sve svoje emocije
04:55
and answer the questions.
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i odgovarati na pitanja.
04:57
After they finished questioning me,
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Nakon što su završili s ispitivanjem,
04:59
one official said to another,
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jedan je službenik rekao drugom:
05:01
"This was a false report.
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"Ovo je bila lažna dojava.
05:03
She's not North Korean."
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Ona nije Sjevernokorejka."
05:05
And they let me go. It was a miracle.
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Pustili su me. To je bilo čudo.
05:09
Some North Koreans in China seek asylum
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Neki Sjevernokorejci u Kini traže azil
05:12
in foreign embassies,
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u stranim ambasadama,
05:15
but many can be caught by the Chinese police
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ali mnoge može uhvatiti kineska policija
05:18
and repatriated.
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i vratiti u domovinu.
05:19
These girls were so lucky.
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Ove djevojčice su imale sreće.
05:22
Even though they were caught,
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Iako su bile uhvaćene,
05:23
they were eventually released
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na kraju su puštene
05:25
after heavy international pressure.
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zbog jakog internacionalnog pritiska.
05:28
These North Koreans were not so lucky.
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Ovi Sjevernokorejci nisu bili tako sretni.
05:31
Every year, countless North Koreans are caught in China
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Svake godine bezbroj Sjevernokorejaca bude uhvaćeno u Kini
05:35
and repatriated to North Korea,
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i vraćeno u Sjevernu Koreju,
05:38
where they can be tortured, imprisoned
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gdje mogu biti mučeni, zarobljeni
05:41
or publicly executed.
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ili javno pogubljeni.
05:44
Even though I was really fortunate to get out,
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Iako sam imala veliku sreću da se izvučem,
05:47
many other North Koreans have not been so lucky.
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brojni Sjevernokorejci nisu bili te sreće.
05:50
It's tragic that North Koreans have to hide their identities
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Tragično je što Sjevernokorejci moraju skrivati svoj identitet
05:54
and struggle so hard just to survive.
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i boriti se samo da prežive.
05:58
Even after learning a new language and getting a job,
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Čak i nakon što nauče jezik i dobiju posao,
06:01
their whole world can be turned upside down in an instant.
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njihov cijeli svijet može biti prevrnut u sekundi.
06:05
That's why, after 10 years of hiding my identity,
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Zato sam nakon 10 godina skrivanja svog identiteta
06:09
I decided to risk going to South Korea,
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odlučila riskirati i otići u Sjevernu Koreju
06:13
and I started a new life yet again.
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i ponovo početi novi život.
06:16
Settling down in South Korea was a lot more challenging
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Stvaranje života u Sjevernoj Koreji je bilo mnogo zahtjevnije
06:19
than I had expected.
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nego sto sam očekivala.
06:22
English was so important in South Korea,
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Engleski je bio tako važan u Sjevernoj Koreji
06:25
so I had to start learning my third language.
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da sam morala početi učiti i treći jezik.
06:28
Also, I realized there was a wide gap
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Uvidjela sam da je veliki jaz
06:31
between North and South.
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između sjevera i juga.
06:33
We are all Korean, but inside,
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Svi smo Korejci, ali iznutra
06:36
we have become very different
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smo postali jako različiti
06:37
due to 67 years of division.
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zbog 67 godina podjele.
06:41
I even went through an identity crisis.
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Prošla sam i kroz krizu identiteta.
06:45
Am I South Korean or North Korean?
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Jesam li Sjeverno-korejanka ili Južno-korejanka?
06:48
Where am I from? Who am I?
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Odakle sam? Tko sam ja?
06:51
Suddenly, there was no country
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Iznenada, nije postojala zemlja
06:53
I could proudly call my own.
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koju bih s ponosom zvala svojom.
06:59
Even though adjusting to life in South Korea was not easy,
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Iako prilagođavanje životu u Južnoj Koreji nije bilo lako,
07:03
I made a plan.
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napravila sam plan.
07:04
I started studying for the university entrance exam.
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Počela sam učiti za prijemni ispit na fakultet.
07:07
Just as I was starting to get used to my new life,
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Baš kad sam se počela navikavati na novi život,
07:11
I received a shocking phone call.
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primila sam šokantan poziv.
07:14
The North Korean authorities
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Vlasti Sjeverne Koreje
07:15
intercepted some money that I sent to my family,
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su presrele neki novac koji sam poslala obitelji
07:18
and, as a punishment, my family was going
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i za kaznu je moja obitelj trebala biti
07:21
to be forcibly removed
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prisilno uklonjena
07:23
to a desolate location in the countryside.
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na napuštenu lokaciju na selu.
07:27
They had to get out quickly,
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Morali su brzo pobjeći
07:29
so I started planning how to help them escape.
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pa sam počela planirati kako da im pomognem da pobjegnu.
07:33
North Koreans have to travel incredible distances
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Sjevernokorejci su proputovali nevjerovatne udaljenosti
07:36
on the path to freedom.
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na putu ka slobodi.
07:39
It's almost impossible to cross the border
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Gotovo je nemoguće prijeći granicu
07:42
between North Korea and South Korea,
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između Sjeverne i Južne Koreje,
07:45
so, ironically, I took a flight back to China
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pa sam, što je ironično, odletjela do Kine
07:48
and I headed toward the North Korean border.
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i zaputila se prema sjevernokorejskoj granici.
07:52
Since my family couldn't speak Chinese,
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Obzirom da moja obitelj ne govori kineski
07:55
I had to guide them,
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morala sam ih nekako prevesti
07:57
somehow, through more than 2,000 miles in China
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preko više od 3000 km do Kine
08:01
and then into Southeast Asia.
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i onda do jugoistočne Azije.
08:04
The journey by bus took one week,
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Putovanje autobusom je trajalo sedmicu
08:06
and we were almost caught several times.
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i nekoliko puta smo skoro uhapšeni.
08:09
One time, our bus was stopped
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Jednom, naš je autobus zaustavio
08:12
and boarded by a Chinese police officer.
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kineski policajac koji se potom ukrcao.
08:17
He took everyone's I.D. cards,
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Uzeo je sve lične karte
08:19
and he started asking them questions.
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i počeo ih ispitivati.
08:21
Since my family couldn't understand Chinese,
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Obzirom da moja obitelj nije razumjela kineski,
08:25
I thought my family was going to be arrested.
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mislila sam da ce biti uhapšeni.
08:29
As the Chinese officer approached my family,
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Dok se kineski policajac približavao mojoj obitelji,
08:32
I impulsively stood up, and I told him
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nagonski sam ustala i rekla mu
08:34
that these are deaf and dumb people
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da su to gluhonijemi ljudi
08:37
that I was chaperoning.
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za koje se brinem.
08:39
He looked at me suspiciously,
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Pogledao me sumnjičavo,
08:42
but luckily he believed me.
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ali mi je srećom povjerovao.
08:45
We made it all the way to the border of Laos,
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Dospjeli smo sve do granice s Laosom,
08:49
but I had to spend almost all my money
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gdje sam morala dati sav svoj novac
08:53
to bribe the border guards in Laos.
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za podmićivanje stražara u Laosu.
08:56
But even after we got past the border,
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Ali nakon što smo prešli granicu,
08:59
my family was arrested and jailed
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moja je obitelj uhapšena i zatvorena
09:02
for illegal border crossing.
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zbog ilegalnog prelaska granice.
09:04
After I paid the fine and bribe,
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Nakon što sam platila kaznu i mito,
09:06
my family was released in one month,
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moja je obitelj puštena nakon mjesec dana,
09:10
but soon after, my family was arrested and jailed again
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ali ubrzo potom, ponovo je uhapšena i zatvorena
09:14
in the capital of Laos.
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u glavnom gradu Laosa.
09:16
This was one of the lowest points in my life.
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Ovo je bio jedan od najgorih trenutaka mog života.
09:21
I did everything to get my family to freedom,
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Sve sam učinila da oslobodim svoju obitelj
09:26
and we came so close,
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i bili smo tako blizu,
09:29
but my family was thrown in jail
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ali moja obitelj je bačena u zatvor
09:31
just a short distance from the South Korean embassy.
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nedaleko od ambasade Južne Koreje.
09:34
I went back and forth between the immigration office
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Odlazila sam od imigracijskog ureda
09:37
and the police station,
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do policijske stanice
09:39
desperately trying to get my family out,
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očajnički pokušavajući izbaviti svoju obitelj
09:42
but I didn't have enough money
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ali nisam imala dovoljno novaca
09:44
to pay a bribe or fine anymore.
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da platim kaznu i mito.
09:46
I lost all hope.
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Izgubila sam nadu.
09:48
At that moment, I heard one man's voice ask me,
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U tom me trenutku neki muški glas pitao:
09:52
"What's wrong?"
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"Šta nije u redu?"
09:53
I was so surprised
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Bila sam iznenađena
09:55
that a total stranger cared enough to ask.
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što je totalnom strancu bilo dovoljno stalo da me to pita.
09:59
In my broken English, and with a dictionary,
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Na slabom engleskom i uz pomoć rječnika
10:01
I explained the situation, and without hesitating,
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objasnila sam situaciju i bez oklijevanja,
10:05
the man went to the ATM
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čovjek je otišao do bankomata
10:07
and he paid the rest of the money for my family
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i platio ostatak novca za moju obitelj
10:10
and two other North Koreans to get out of jail.
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te oslobađanje još dvojice Sjevernokorejaca.
10:14
I thanked him with all my heart, and I asked him,
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Od srca sam mu zahvalila i pitala:
10:18
"Why are you helping me?"
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"Zašto mi pomažete?"
10:20
"I'm not helping you," he said.
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"Ne pomažem tebi," rekao je:
10:22
"I'm helping the North Korean people."
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"pomažem ljudima Sjeverne Koreje."
10:26
I realized that this was a symbolic moment in my life.
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Shvatila sam da je to simboličan trenutak u mom životu.
10:30
The kind stranger symbolized new hope for me
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Dobri stranac je simbolizirao nadu za mene
10:34
and the North Korean people when we needed it most,
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i za Sjevernokorejce kada nam je ona bila najviše potrebna,
10:37
and he showed me the kindness of strangers
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te mi je pokazao dobrotu stranaca
10:40
and the support of the international community
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i podršku međunarodne zajednice
10:43
are truly the rays of hope we North Korean people need.
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kao stvarne zrake nade koje su bile potrebne Sjevernokorejcima.
10:48
Eventually, after our long journey,
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Konačno, nakon dugog putovanja,
10:51
my family and I were reunited in South Korea,
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moja obitelj i ja smo ujedninjeni u Sjevernoj Koreji,
10:54
but getting to freedom is only half the battle.
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ali smo bili na pola puta do slobode.
10:58
Many North Koreans are separated from their families,
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Mnogi su Sjevernokorejci odvojeni od svojih obitelji
11:01
and when they arrive in a new country,
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i kada stignu u zemlju,
11:04
they start with little or no money.
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počinju s malo ili nimalo novaca.
11:08
So we can benefit from the international community
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Tako da možemo iskoristiti međunarodnu zajednicu
11:11
for education, English language training,
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za obrazovanje, treninge engleskog jezika,
11:14
job training, and more.
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treninge za posao i više.
11:16
We can also act as a bridge
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Možemo i djelovati kao most
11:18
between the people inside North Korea
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između ljudi u Sjevernoj Koreji
11:20
and the outside world,
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i vanjskog svijeta,
11:22
because many of us stay in contact
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jer mnogi ostaju u kontaktu
11:25
with family members still inside,
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sa članovima obitelji koji su još tamo,
11:28
and we send information and money
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pa im šaljemo informacije i novac
11:30
that is helping to change North Korea from inside.
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što pomaže promjeni Sjeverne Koreje iznutra.
11:35
I've been so lucky, received so much help
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Bila sam jako sretna i dobila toliko pomoći
11:38
and inspiration in my life,
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i inspiracije u svom zivotu
11:40
so I want to help give aspiring North Koreans
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da želim pomoći oživljavanje nade Sjevernokorejaca
11:43
a chance to prosper
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u šansu za poboljšanje
11:46
with international support.
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uz međunarodnu pomoć.
11:49
I'm confident that you will see more and more
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Vjerujem da ćete vidjeti sve više
11:51
North Koreans succeeding all over the world,
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Sjevernokorejaca koji uspjevaju diljem svijeta,
11:54
including the TED stage.
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Uključujući i TED-ovu scenu.
11:57
Thank you.
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Hvala.
11:59
(Applause)
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(Aplauz)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Hyeonseo Lee - ActivistAs a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee thoght her country was the "best on the planet." It wasn't until the famine of the 90s that she began to wonder. She escaped the country at 17-years-old to begin a life in hiding as a refugee in China. Hers is a harrowing, personal tale of survival and hope -- and a powerful reminder of those who face constant danger, even when the border is far behind.
Why you should listen
Hyeonseo Lee grew up in North Korea but escaped to China in 1997. In 2008, when she was 28-years-old, she came to Seoul, South Korea, where she struggled to adjust to life in the bustling city. North Korean defectors often have a hard time in South Korea, she noted in the Wall Street Journal: "We defectors have to start from scratch. Prejudice against North Koreans and icy stares were other obstacles that were hard to cope with."
Now a student at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, she has become an advocate for fellow refugees, even helping close relatives leave North Korea after they were targeted. Her dream? As she told the Korea Times, she'd like to work at the UN or an NGO that advocates for the human rights of North Koreans, including their right to be treated as political refugees.
She has a new book called The Girl with Seven Names.
Hyeonseo Lee | Speaker | TED.com