TED2013
Hyeonseo Lee: My escape from North Korea
Hyeonseo Lee: Min flugt fra Nordkorea
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Som barn i Nordkorea troede Hyeonseo Lee at hendes hjemland var “det bedste i verden”. Det var først under hungersnøden i 90'erne hun begyndte at stille spørgsmålstegn ved det. Hun flygtede fra landet som 14-årig, for at begynde et liv i det skjulte, som flygtning i Kina. Hendes historie er en personlig fortælling om overlevelse og håb -- og en påmindelse om, at der er mennesker i konstant fare, selv langt fra landegrænsen.
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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Som lille
00:17
I thought my country was the best on the planet,
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troede jeg at mit land var
det bedste i verden,
det bedste i verden,
00:20
and I grew up singing a song called "Nothing To Envy."
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og jeg voksede op med en sang kaldet
"Intet at misunde".
"Intet at misunde".
00:24
And I was very proud.
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Og jeg var meget stolt.
00:26
In school, we spent a lot of time
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I skolen brugte vi meget tid på,
00:28
studying the history of Kim Il-Sung,
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at studere Kim Il-Sungs historie,
00:30
but we never learned much about the outside world,
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men vi lærte aldrig meget om verden udenfor,
00:34
except that America, South Korea, Japan are the enemies.
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undtagen at Amerika, Sydkorea og Japan var fjenderne.
00:39
Although I often wondered about the outside world,
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Selvom jeg ofte spekulerede på verden udenfor,
00:42
I thought I would spend my entire life in North Korea,
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var jeg sikker på, at jeg skulle leve hele mit liv i Nordkorea,
00:46
until everything suddenly changed.
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indtil alt pludselig ændrede sig.
00:50
When I was seven years old, I saw my first public execution,
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Da jeg var 7 år gammel,
så jeg min første offentlige henrettelse,
så jeg min første offentlige henrettelse,
00:55
but I thought my life in North Korea was normal.
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men jeg troede at mit liv i Nordkorea var almindeligt.
00:58
My family was not poor,
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Min familie var ikke fattig,
01:00
and myself, I had never experienced hunger.
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og jeg havde aldrig selv oplevet sult.
01:04
But one day, in 1995, my mom brought home a letter
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Men så en dag i 1995 kom min mor hjem med et brev
01:08
from a coworker's sister.
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fra en kollegas søster.
01:10
It read, "When you read this, all five family members
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Der stod: "Når du læser dette,
har alle fem familiemedlemmer
har alle fem familiemedlemmer
01:15
will not exist in this world,
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forladt denne verden,
01:18
because we haven't eaten for the past two weeks.
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fordi vi ikke har spist de sidste fjorten dage.
01:22
We are lying on the floor together,
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Vi ligger alle på gulvet sammen,
01:25
and our bodies are so weak we are ready to die."
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og vores kroppe er så svage. Vi er klar til at dø."
01:33
I was so shocked.
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Jeg var så chokeret.
01:37
This was the first time I heard
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Det var første gang jeg hørte
01:39
that people in my country were suffering.
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at der var folk, som led, i mit land.
01:43
Soon after, when I was walking past a train station,
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Kort tid efter da jeg gik forbi togstationen,
01:46
I saw something terrible
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så jeg noget forfærdeligt,
01:48
that I can't erase from my memory.
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som jeg ikke kan slette fra min hukommelse.
01:52
A lifeless woman was lying on the ground,
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Der lå en livløs kvinde på jorden,
01:55
while an emaciated child in her arms
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mens det udsultede barn i hendes arme
01:58
just stared helplessly at his mother's face.
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kun stirrede hjælpeløst på sin mors ansigt.
02:02
But nobody helped them, because they were so focused
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Men ingen hjalp dem, fordi de selv var så fokuserede
02:07
on taking care of themselves and their families.
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på, at tage sig af dem selv og deres familier.
02:11
A huge famine hit North Korea in the mid-1990s.
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En stor hungersnød ramte Nordkorea i midt-90'erne.
02:15
Ultimately, more than a million North Koreans
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I sidste ende havde mere end en million nordkoreanere
02:18
died during the famine, and many only survived
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mistet livet under hungersnøden, og mange overlevede kun
02:21
by eating grass, bugs and tree bark.
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ved at spise græs, insekter og bark fra træerne.
02:27
Power outages also became more and more frequent,
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Strømsvigt blev også mere og mere almindelige,
02:30
so everything around me was completely dark at night
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så jeg var indhyllet i total mørke om natten
02:35
except for the sea of lights in China,
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med untagelse af lyshavet i Kina
02:37
just across the river from my home.
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på den anden side af floden tæt ved mit hjem.
02:40
I always wondered why they had lights but we didn't.
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Jeg undrede mig over, hvorfor
de havde lys, når vi ikke havde.
de havde lys, når vi ikke havde.
02:45
This is a satellite picture showing North Korea at night
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Det her er et sattelitbillede af Nordkorea om natten
02:49
compared to neighbors.
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sammenlignet med dets naboer.
02:53
This is the Amrok River,
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Det her er floden Amrok,
02:55
which serves as a part of the border
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som tjener som en del af grænsen
02:57
between North Korea and China.
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mellem Nordkorea og Kina
03:00
As you can see, the river can be very narrow
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Som I kan se, kan floden være meget smal visse steder,
03:02
at certain points, allowing North Koreans to secretly cross.
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så Nordkoreanere kan krydse floden i al hemmelighed.
03:08
But many die.
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Men mange dør.
03:10
Sometimes, I saw dead bodies floating down the river.
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Nogle gange så jeg lig drive ned ad floden.
03:17
I can't reveal many details [about] how I left North Korea,
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Jeg kan ikke afsløre mange detaljer
om min flugt fra Nordkorea.
om min flugt fra Nordkorea.
03:22
but I only can say that during the ugly years of the famine
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Jeg kan kun sige, at jeg under
de hårdeste år af hungersnøden
de hårdeste år af hungersnøden
03:27
I was sent to China to live with distant relatives.
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blev sendt til Kina for at bo hos nogle fjerne slægtninge.
03:32
But I only thought
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Jeg troede kun,
03:34
that I would be separated from my family for a short time.
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at jeg ville være væk fra min famiie i kort tid.
03:38
I could have never imagined
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Jeg kunne aldrig have drømt
03:40
that it would take 14 years to live together.
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at det ville tage 14 år før vi kunne bo sammen.
03:44
In China, it was hard living as a young girl without my family.
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I Kina var det svært at klare sig
som ung pige uden min familie.
som ung pige uden min familie.
03:48
I had no idea what life was going to be like
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Jeg havde ingen anelse om, hvordan livet ville være
03:52
as a North Korean refugee,
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som Nordkoreansk flygtning,
03:54
but I soon learned it's not only extremely difficult,
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men jeg lærte hurtigt, at det ikke kun er ekstremt svært,
03:57
it's also very dangerous,
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men også meget farligt,
04:00
since North Korean refugees are considered in China
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eftersom Nordkoreanske flygtninge i Kina
04:05
as illegal migrants.
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ses som illegale immigranter.
04:08
So I was living in constant fear
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Så jeg levede i konstant frygt for,
04:10
that my identity could be revealed,
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at min identitet skulle blive afsløret,
04:12
and I would be repatriated to a horrible fate
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og jeg ville blive sendt hjem til en grufuld skæbne
04:16
back in North Korea.
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hjemme i Nordkorea.
04:18
One day, my worst nightmare came true,
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En dag gik mit værste mareridt i opfyldelse,
04:21
when I was caught by the Chinese police
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da jeg blev anholdt af Kinesisk politi
04:24
and brought to the police station for interrogation.
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og taget til politistationen til afhøring.
04:28
Someone had accused me of being North Korean,
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Nogen havde anklaget mig for at være Nordkoreaner,
04:31
so they tested my Chinese language abilities
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så de vurderede mine kinesiske sprogkundskaber
04:35
and asked me tons of questions.
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og stillede mig tonsvis af spørgsmål.
04:38
I was so scared,
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Jeg var så bange.
04:41
I thought my heart was going to explode.
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Jeg troede mit hjerte ville eksplodere.
04:44
If anything seemed unnatural, I could be imprisoned
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Hvis noget som helst virkede unaturligt,
kunne jeg blive fængslet
kunne jeg blive fængslet
04:47
and repatriated.
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og hjemsendt.
04:49
I thought my life was over,
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Jeg troede mit liv var forbi,
04:52
but I managed to control all the emotions inside me
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men jeg formåede at kontrollere alle mine følelser
04:55
and answer the questions.
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og besvare spørgsmålene.
04:57
After they finished questioning me,
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Da de var færdige med at stille spørgsmål,
04:59
one official said to another,
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sagde en betjent til en anden:
05:01
"This was a false report.
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"Det var en falsk anmeldelse.
05:03
She's not North Korean."
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Hun er ikke nordkoreaner."
05:05
And they let me go. It was a miracle.
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Så lod de mig gå. Det var et mirakkel
05:09
Some North Koreans in China seek asylum
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Nogle nordkoreanere i Kina søger asyl
05:12
in foreign embassies,
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i udenlandske ambassader,
05:15
but many can be caught by the Chinese police
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men mange kan blive fanget af Kinesisk politi
05:18
and repatriated.
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og hjemsendt.
05:19
These girls were so lucky.
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Disse piger var så heldige.
05:22
Even though they were caught,
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Selvom de blev arresteret,
05:23
they were eventually released
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blev de til sidst løsladt,
05:25
after heavy international pressure.
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grundet stort internationalt pres.
05:28
These North Koreans were not so lucky.
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Disse nordkoreanere var ikke lige så heldige.
05:31
Every year, countless North Koreans are caught in China
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Hvert år arresteres utallige nordkoreanere i Kina
05:35
and repatriated to North Korea,
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og bliver hjemsendt til Nordkorea,
05:38
where they can be tortured, imprisoned
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hvor de kan blive tortureret, fængslet
05:41
or publicly executed.
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eller henrettet offentligt.
05:44
Even though I was really fortunate to get out,
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Selv om jeg var så heldig at undslippe,
05:47
many other North Koreans have not been so lucky.
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har mange nordkoreanere ikke været lige så heldige.
05:50
It's tragic that North Koreans have to hide their identities
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Det er tragisk at nordkoreanere
er nødt til at skjule deres identiteter
er nødt til at skjule deres identiteter
05:54
and struggle so hard just to survive.
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og kæmpe så hårdt for bare at overleve.
05:58
Even after learning a new language and getting a job,
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Selv efter at have lært et nyt sprog og fået et job,
06:01
their whole world can be turned upside down in an instant.
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kan hele deres verden blive vendt på hovedet på et øjeblik.
06:05
That's why, after 10 years of hiding my identity,
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Det var derfor, at jeg
efter at have skjult min identitet i 10 år
efter at have skjult min identitet i 10 år
06:09
I decided to risk going to South Korea,
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besluttede mig for at løbe risikoen og rejse til Sydkorea,
06:13
and I started a new life yet again.
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og begynde et nyt liv endnu en gang.
06:16
Settling down in South Korea was a lot more challenging
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Det at finde sig til rette i Sydkorea
var meget mere udfordrende
var meget mere udfordrende
06:19
than I had expected.
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end jeg havde forventet.
06:22
English was so important in South Korea,
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Engelsk var meget vigtigt i Sydkorea,
06:25
so I had to start learning my third language.
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så jeg måtte begynde at lære mit tredje sprog.
06:28
Also, I realized there was a wide gap
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Jeg oplevede også at der var stor forskel
06:31
between North and South.
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på Nord- og Sydkorea.
06:33
We are all Korean, but inside,
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Vi er allesammen koreanere, men indeni
06:36
we have become very different
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er vi blevet meget forskellige
06:37
due to 67 years of division.
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efter 67 års splittelse.
06:41
I even went through an identity crisis.
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Jeg gik også igennem en identitetskrise.
06:45
Am I South Korean or North Korean?
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Er jeg sydkoreaner eller nordkoreaner?
06:48
Where am I from? Who am I?
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Hvor er jeg fra? Hvem er jeg?
06:51
Suddenly, there was no country
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Pludselig var der intet land,
06:53
I could proudly call my own.
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som jeg med stolthed kunne kalde mit eget.
06:59
Even though adjusting to life in South Korea was not easy,
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Selvom det var svært at tilpasse sig livet i Sydkorea,
07:03
I made a plan.
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havde jeg en plan.
07:04
I started studying for the university entrance exam.
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Jeg begyndte at læse op til
universitetets adgangseksamen.
universitetets adgangseksamen.
07:07
Just as I was starting to get used to my new life,
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Midt i, at jeg var ved at vænne mig til mit nye liv,
07:11
I received a shocking phone call.
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modtog jeg et chokerende telefonopkald.
07:14
The North Korean authorities
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De nordkoreanske myndigheder
07:15
intercepted some money that I sent to my family,
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havde opdaget nogle penge
som jeg havde sendt til min familie,
som jeg havde sendt til min familie,
07:18
and, as a punishment, my family was going
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og som straf skulle min familie
07:21
to be forcibly removed
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med magt forflyttes
07:23
to a desolate location in the countryside.
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til et isoleret sted på landet.
07:27
They had to get out quickly,
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De skulle ud af landet hurtigt,
07:29
so I started planning how to help them escape.
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så jeg begyndte at lægge en flugtplan for dem.
07:33
North Koreans have to travel incredible distances
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Nordkoreanere er nødt til at rejse utroligt langt
07:36
on the path to freedom.
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på vejen mod friheden.
07:39
It's almost impossible to cross the border
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Det er næsten umuligt at krydse grænsen
07:42
between North Korea and South Korea,
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mellem Nord- og Sydkorea,
07:45
so, ironically, I took a flight back to China
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så jeg fløj tilbage til Kina
07:48
and I headed toward the North Korean border.
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og tog i retning af grænsen til Nordkorea.
07:52
Since my family couldn't speak Chinese,
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Eftersom min familie ikke kunne tale Kinesisk,
07:55
I had to guide them,
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var jeg nødt til at lede dem
07:57
somehow, through more than 2,000 miles in China
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mere end 3.000 km gennem Kina
08:01
and then into Southeast Asia.
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og så ind i Sydøstasien.
08:04
The journey by bus took one week,
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Rejsen med bus tog en uge,
08:06
and we were almost caught several times.
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og vi blev næsten fanget flere gange.
08:09
One time, our bus was stopped
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Én gang blev vores bus stoppet
08:12
and boarded by a Chinese police officer.
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og en kinesisk pilitibetjent steg på.
08:17
He took everyone's I.D. cards,
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Han tog alles id-kort,
08:19
and he started asking them questions.
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og begyndte at udspørge dem.
08:21
Since my family couldn't understand Chinese,
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Siden min familie ikke kunne forstå kinesisk,
08:25
I thought my family was going to be arrested.
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var jeg overbevist om at de ville blive anholdt.
08:29
As the Chinese officer approached my family,
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Da den kinesiske betjent nærmede sig min familie,
08:32
I impulsively stood up, and I told him
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rejste jeg mig impulsivt op og fortalte ham
08:34
that these are deaf and dumb people
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at det var en gruppe døvstumme
08:37
that I was chaperoning.
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som jeg tog mig af.
08:39
He looked at me suspiciously,
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Han kiggede mistænksomt på mig,
08:42
but luckily he believed me.
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men heldigvis troede han på mig.
08:45
We made it all the way to the border of Laos,
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Vi kom hele vejen til grænsen til Laos
08:49
but I had to spend almost all my money
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men jeg blev nødt til at bruge næsten alle mine penge
08:53
to bribe the border guards in Laos.
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på at bestikke grænsevagterne i Laos.
08:56
But even after we got past the border,
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Men da vi kom over grænsen,
08:59
my family was arrested and jailed
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blev min familie alligevel arresteret og fængslet
09:02
for illegal border crossing.
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for ulovlig indvandring.
09:04
After I paid the fine and bribe,
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Efter jeg betalte kaution og bestikkelse,
09:06
my family was released in one month,
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blev min familie løsladt i en måned,
09:10
but soon after, my family was arrested and jailed again
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men kort tid efter blev min familie anholdt og fængslet igen
09:14
in the capital of Laos.
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i Laos' hovedstad.
09:16
This was one of the lowest points in my life.
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Det var en af de laveste perioder i mit liv.
09:21
I did everything to get my family to freedom,
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Jeg gjorde alt hvad jeg kunne for at befri min familie.
09:26
and we came so close,
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Vi var så tæt på,
09:29
but my family was thrown in jail
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men min familie blev smidt i fængsel
09:31
just a short distance from the South Korean embassy.
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ikke langt fra den sydkoreanske ambassade.
09:34
I went back and forth between the immigration office
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Jeg gik frem og tilbage mellem immigrationskontoret
09:37
and the police station,
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og politistationen,
09:39
desperately trying to get my family out,
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og prøvede desperat at få min familie ud,
09:42
but I didn't have enough money
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men jeg havde ikke penge nok
09:44
to pay a bribe or fine anymore.
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til at betale mere bestikkelse eller kaution.
09:46
I lost all hope.
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Jeg mistede alt håb.
09:48
At that moment, I heard one man's voice ask me,
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Det øjeblik hørte jeg en mands stemme spørge:
09:52
"What's wrong?"
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"Hvad er der galt?"
09:53
I was so surprised
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Jeg var så overrasket
09:55
that a total stranger cared enough to ask.
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over at en fuldkommen fremmed overhovedet gad spørge.
09:59
In my broken English, and with a dictionary,
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På mit gebrokne engelsk og med en ordbog
10:01
I explained the situation, and without hesitating,
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forklarede jeg situationen, og uden at tøve
10:05
the man went to the ATM
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gik manden hen til en hæveautomat
10:07
and he paid the rest of the money for my family
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og betalte hvad der manglede for at min familie
10:10
and two other North Koreans to get out of jail.
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og to andre nordkoreanere kunne komme ud af fængslet.
10:14
I thanked him with all my heart, and I asked him,
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Jeg takkede ham af hele mit hjerte og spurgte:
10:18
"Why are you helping me?"
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"Hvorfor hjælper du mig?"
10:20
"I'm not helping you," he said.
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"Jeg hjælper ikke dig," sagde han
10:22
"I'm helping the North Korean people."
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"Jeg hjælper det nordkoreanske folk."
10:26
I realized that this was a symbolic moment in my life.
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Jeg indså at det var et symbolsk øjeblik i mit liv.
10:30
The kind stranger symbolized new hope for me
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Den barmhjertige fremmede
symboliserede et nyt håb for mig
symboliserede et nyt håb for mig
10:34
and the North Korean people when we needed it most,
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og det nordkoreanske folk i vores yderste nød,
10:37
and he showed me the kindness of strangers
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og han viste mig hvor barmhjertige fremmede kan være
10:40
and the support of the international community
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og tilslutningen fra det internationale fællesskab
10:43
are truly the rays of hope we North Korean people need.
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er i sandhed de stråler af håb,
vi nordkoreanere har brug for.
vi nordkoreanere har brug for.
10:48
Eventually, after our long journey,
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Til sidst efter vores lange rejse
10:51
my family and I were reunited in South Korea,
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blev min familie og jeg genforenet i Sydkorea,
10:54
but getting to freedom is only half the battle.
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men vejen til frihed er kun halvdelen af kampen.
10:58
Many North Koreans are separated from their families,
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Mange nordkoreanere er stadig skilt
fra deres familier,
fra deres familier,
11:01
and when they arrive in a new country,
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og når de kommer til et nyt land,
11:04
they start with little or no money.
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begynder de med få eller ingen penge.
11:08
So we can benefit from the international community
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Så vi kan få glæde af støtte
fra det internationale fællesskab
fra det internationale fællesskab
11:11
for education, English language training,
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til uddannelse, engelskundervisning,
11:14
job training, and more.
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jobtræning og mere.
11:16
We can also act as a bridge
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Vi kan også fungere som en bro
11:18
between the people inside North Korea
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mellem befolkningen inde i Nordkorea
11:20
and the outside world,
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og omverden,
11:22
because many of us stay in contact
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fordi mange af os holder kontakten
11:25
with family members still inside,
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med familiemedlemmer, som stadig er derinde,
11:28
and we send information and money
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og vi sender information og penge,
11:30
that is helping to change North Korea from inside.
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som hjælper til at ændre Nordkorea indefra.
11:35
I've been so lucky, received so much help
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Jeg har været meget heldig og modtaget så meget hjælp
11:38
and inspiration in my life,
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og inspiration i mit liv,
11:40
so I want to help give aspiring North Koreans
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så jeg ønsker at hjælpe med til at give nordkoreanere
11:43
a chance to prosper
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en chance for at trives
11:46
with international support.
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med international støtte.
11:49
I'm confident that you will see more and more
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Jeg er sikker på at man vil se flere og flere
11:51
North Koreans succeeding all over the world,
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nordkoreanere sejre i hele verden
11:54
including the TED stage.
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inklusive TED-scenen.
11:57
Thank you.
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Tak.
11:59
(Applause)
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(Bifald)
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