TED2013
Hyeonseo Lee: My escape from North Korea
Hyeonseo Lee: Hyeonseo Lee: Moj bijeg iz Sjeverne Koreje
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Kao dijete koje je odrastalo u Sjevernoj Koreji, Hyeonseo Lee mislila je da je njena zemlja "najbolja na planetu". Sve dok nije vidjela glad devedesetih nije se zapitala je li to istina. Pobjegla je iz zemlje sa 14 godina, kako bi započela život u skrivanju, kao izbjeglica u Kini. Ovdje je razdiruća, osobna priča o preživljavanju i nadi -- i snažan podsjetnik onima koji su suočeni sa ustrajnom opasnošću, čak i kad je granica daleko iza njih.
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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Kada 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 planeti,
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 "Ništa za zavidjeti".
00:24
And I was very proud.
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I bila sam vrlo ponosna.
00:26
In school, we spent a lot of time
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U školi smo proveli mnogo vremena
00:28
studying the history of Kim Il-Sung,
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učeći povijest o Kim II-Sung-u,
00:30
but we never learned much about the outside world,
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ali nikada nismo naučili puno o vanjskome svijetu,
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 se često zapitala o vanjskome svijetu,
00:42
I thought I would spend my entire life in North Korea,
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mislila sam da ću cijeli život provesti u Sjevernoj Korei,
00:46
until everything suddenly changed.
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dok se odjednom nije sve promijenilo.
00:50
When I was seven years old, I saw my first public execution,
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Kada sam imala sedam godina, vidjela sam svoje prvo javno smaknuće,
00:55
but I thought my life in North Korea was normal.
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ali mislila sam da je moj život u Sjevernoj Koreji bio 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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a ja, ja nikada nisam iskusila što je to glad.
01:04
But one day, in 1995, my mom brought home a letter
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Ali jednoga dana, 1995. godine, majka mi je donijela doma pismo
01:08
from a coworker's sister.
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od suradnikove sestre.
01:10
It read, "When you read this, all five family members
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Pisalo je, "Dok čitaš ovo, svih pet članova obitelji
01:15
will not exist in this world,
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neće postojati na ovome svijetu,
01:18
because we haven't eaten for the past two weeks.
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jer nismo jeli ništa zadnja dva tjedna.
01:22
We are lying on the floor together,
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Ležimo zajedno na podu,
01:25
and our bodies are so weak we are ready to die."
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i naša tijela su toliko 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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Ovo 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 nakon toga, kada sam hodala pored željezničke stanice,
01:46
I saw something terrible
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vidjela sam nešto strašno
01:48
that I can't erase from my memory.
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što ne mogu izbrisati iz svoje glave.
01:52
A lifeless woman was lying on the ground,
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Beživotno tijelo žene je ležalo na podu,
01:55
while an emaciated child in her arms
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dok je mršavo dijete u njezinim rukama
01:58
just stared helplessly at his mother's face.
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samo gledalo bespomoćno u lice svoje majke.
02:02
But nobody helped them, because they were so focused
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Ali niko im nije pomogao, jer su svi bili toliko 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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Ogromna glad je pogodila Sjevernu Koreju sredinom 1990.-ih.
02:15
Ultimately, more than a million North Koreans
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Na poslijetku, više od milijun Sjeverno Korejaca
02:18
died during the famine, and many only survived
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umrlo je tijekom gladi, a mnogi su prežvjeli jedino
02:21
by eating grass, bugs and tree bark.
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hraneći se travom, kukcima i korom stabala.
02:27
Power outages also became more and more frequent,
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Nestanci struje postali su sve češći i češći,
02:30
so everything around me was completely dark at night
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tako da je sve oko mene bilo potpuni mrak
02:35
except for the sea of lights in China,
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osim mora svjetla u Kini
02:37
just across the river from my home.
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preko puta rijeke od moje kuće.
02:40
I always wondered why they had lights but we didn't.
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Uvijek sam se pitala zašto su oni imali svjetla a mi ne.
02:45
This is a satellite picture showing North Korea at night
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Ovo je satelitska slika koja prikazuje Sjevernu Koreju noću
02:49
compared to neighbors.
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uspoređena sa susjedima.
02:53
This is the Amrok River,
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Ovo je Amrok rijeka,
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 možete vidjeti, rijeka može biti vrlo uska
03:02
at certain points, allowing North Koreans to secretly cross.
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na određenim mjestima, dopuštajući Sjeverno Koreancima da tajno prijeđu.
03:08
But many die.
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Ali mnogi su poginuli.
03:10
Sometimes, I saw dead bodies floating down the river.
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Ponekad vidim mrtva tijela kako plutaju niz rijeku.
03:17
I can't reveal many details [about] how I left North Korea,
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Ne mogu otkriti puno detalja 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 jedino što mogu reći je da sam tijekom ružnih godina gladi
03:27
I was sent to China to live with distant relatives.
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poslana u Kinu živjeti kod dalekih rođaka.
03:32
But I only thought
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Ali mislila sam
03:34
that I would be separated from my family for a short time.
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da ću biti odvojena od svoje obitelji samo na kratko vrijeme.
03:38
I could have never imagined
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Nisam mogla zamisliti
03:40
that it would take 14 years to live together.
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da će se to odužiti na 14 godina.
03:44
In China, it was hard living as a young girl without my family.
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U Kini mi je bilo teško živjeti kao djevojčici bez obitelji.
03:48
I had no idea what life was going to be like
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Nisam znala kako će izgledati život
03:52
as a North Korean refugee,
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kao Sjeverno Kreanskoj izbjeglici
03:54
but I soon learned it's not only extremely difficult,
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ali ubrzo sam naučila da to nije samo jako teško,
03:57
it's also very dangerous,
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već je i vrlo opasno,
04:00
since North Korean refugees are considered in China
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otkad su Sjeverno Koreanske izbjeglice otkrivene u Kini
04:05
as illegal migrants.
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kao ilegalni migranti.
04:08
So I was living in constant fear
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I tako sam živjela u stalnom strahu
04:10
that my identity could be revealed,
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da će moj identitet biti otkriven,
04:12
and I would be repatriated to a horrible fate
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i da ću biti vraćena groznoj sudbini
04:16
back in North Korea.
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natrag u Sjevernu Koreju.
04:18
One day, my worst nightmare came true,
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Jednoga dana moja se najgora noćna mora ostvarila,
04:21
when I was caught by the Chinese police
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kada sam bila uhvaćena od strane Kineske policije
04:24
and brought to the police station for interrogation.
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i dovedena u policijsku postaju na ispitivanje.
04:28
Someone had accused me of being North Korean,
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Netko me optužio da sam Sjeverno Koreanka,
04:31
so they tested my Chinese language abilities
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pa su testirali moje Kineske jezične sposobnosti
04:35
and asked me tons of questions.
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i ispitali me puno pitanja.
04:38
I was so scared,
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Bila sam toliko uplašena,
04:41
I thought my heart was going to explode.
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mislila sam da će mi srce eksplodirati.
04:44
If anything seemed unnatural, I could be imprisoned
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Ako se bilo što učini neprirodnim, mogla bih biti zatvorena
04:47
and repatriated.
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i vraćena.
04:49
I thought my life was over,
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Mislila sam da je moj život gotov,
04:52
but I managed to control all the emotions inside me
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ali uspjela sam kontrolirati svoje emocije unutar sebe
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 završetka ispitivanja,
04:59
one official said to another,
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jedan službenik je rekao drugome
05:01
"This was a false report.
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"Ovo je bila lažna prijava.
05:03
She's not North Korean."
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Ona nije Sjeverno Koreanka."
05:05
And they let me go. It was a miracle.
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I pustili su me. To je bilo čudo.
05:09
Some North Koreans in China seek asylum
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Neki Sjeverno Koreanci 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 mnogi mogu biti uhvaćeni od strane Kineske policije
05:18
and repatriated.
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i vraćeni.
05:19
These girls were so lucky.
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Ove djevojke su bile jako sretne.
05:22
Even though they were caught,
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Iako su uhvaćene,
05:23
they were eventually released
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na kraju su bili puštene
05:25
after heavy international pressure.
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nakon teškog međunarodnog pritiska.
05:28
These North Koreans were not so lucky.
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Ovi Sjeverno Koreanci nisu nemaju toliko sreće.
05:31
Every year, countless North Koreans are caught in China
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Svake godine, bezbroj Sjeverno Koreanaca je 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 izloženi mučenjima, zatvoreni
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 bila jako sretna što sam se izvukla,
05:47
many other North Koreans have not been so lucky.
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mnogo drugih Sjeverno Koreanaca nije imalo toliko sreće.
05:50
It's tragic that North Koreans have to hide their identities
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Tragično je što Sjeverno Koreanci moraju skrivati svoj identitet
05:54
and struggle so hard just to survive.
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i toliko se boriti samo kako bi preživjeli.
05:58
Even after learning a new language and getting a job,
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Iako nakon učenja novog jezika i dobitka novog posla,
06:01
their whole world can be turned upside down in an instant.
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njihov se cijeli život može preokrenuti u trenu.
06:05
That's why, after 10 years of hiding my identity,
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Zbog toga, nakon 10 godina skrivanja svog identiteta,
06:09
I decided to risk going to South Korea,
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odlučila sam riskirati odlaskom u Južnu Koreju,
06:13
and I started a new life yet again.
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i započela sam ponovo nov život.
06:16
Settling down in South Korea was a lot more challenging
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Smještanje u Južnu Koreju bilo je veći izazov
06:19
than I had expected.
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nego što sam očekivala.
06:22
English was so important in South Korea,
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Engleski je vrlo bitan u Južnojj Koreji,
06:25
so I had to start learning my third language.
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pa sam počela učiti treći jezik.
06:28
Also, I realized there was a wide gap
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Također sam shvatila da postoji 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 mi Koreanci, ali iznutra,
06:36
we have become very different
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postali smo vrlo različiti
06:37
due to 67 years of division.
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zbog 67 godina podijele.
06:41
I even went through an identity crisis.
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Čak sam prošla kroz krizu identiteta.
06:45
Am I South Korean or North Korean?
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Jesam li ja Sjeverno ili Južno Koreanka?
06:48
Where am I from? Who am I?
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Odakle sam ja? Tko sam ja?
06:51
Suddenly, there was no country
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Odjednom, više nije bilo zemlje
06:53
I could proudly call my own.
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koju bih ponosno mogla zvati svojom.
06:59
Even though adjusting to life in South Korea was not easy,
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Iako prilagodba na život u Južnoj Koreji nije bila lagana,
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 studirati za prijemni ispit.
07:07
Just as I was starting to get used to my new life,
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Samo kako sam počela s novim živom,
07:11
I received a shocking phone call.
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primila sam šokirajući telefonski poziv.
07:14
The North Korean authorities
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Sjeverno Koreanske vlasti
07:15
intercepted some money that I sent to my family,
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prepriječile su nešto novaca koje sam poslala svojoj obitelji,
07:18
and, as a punishment, my family was going
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i, kao kazna, moja obitelj je bila
07:21
to be forcibly removed
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prisiljena preseliti se
07:23
to a desolate location in the countryside.
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na opustošeno mjesto na selu.
07:27
They had to get out quickly,
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Morali su otići brzo,
07:29
so I started planning how to help them escape.
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pa sam planirala novi plan kako im pomoći da pobjegnu.
07:33
North Koreans have to travel incredible distances
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Sjeverno Koreanci moraju proputovati nevjerojatne udaljenosti
07:36
on the path to freedom.
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na putu do slobode.
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, ironično, uzela sam let natrag za Kinu
07:48
and I headed toward the North Korean border.
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i krenula sam prema Sjeverno Koreanskoj granici.
07:52
Since my family couldn't speak Chinese,
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Kako moja obitelj ne govori Kineski,
07:55
I had to guide them,
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morala sam ih učiti,
07:57
somehow, through more than 2,000 miles in China
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nekako, kroz više od 2 000 milja u Kini
08:01
and then into Southeast Asia.
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i onda u Sjevernoj Aziji.
08:04
The journey by bus took one week,
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Putovanje busom trajalo je tjedan dana,
08:06
and we were almost caught several times.
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i nekoliko puta smo gotovo bili uhvaćeni.
08:09
One time, our bus was stopped
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Jednom, naš je bus bio zaustavljen
08:12
and boarded by a Chinese police officer.
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i ušao je kineski policijski službenik.
08:17
He took everyone's I.D. cards,
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Uzeo je od svakoga osobnu kartu,
08:19
and he started asking them questions.
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i započeo s ispitivanjem.
08:21
Since my family couldn't understand Chinese,
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Kako moja obitelj nije mogla razumjeti Kineski,
08:25
I thought my family was going to be arrested.
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mislila sam da će biti uhićeni.
08:29
As the Chinese officer approached my family,
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Kako se službenik približavao mojoj obitelji,
08:32
I impulsively stood up, and I told him
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impulzivno sam ustala i rekla mu
08:34
that these are deaf and dumb people
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da su ovo gluhi i nijemi ljudi
08:37
that I was chaperoning.
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koje sam ja vodila.
08:39
He looked at me suspiciously,
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Pogledao me sumnjivo,
08:42
but luckily he believed me.
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ali na sreću povjerovao mi je.
08:45
We made it all the way to the border of Laos,
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Uspjeli smo doći do granice Laos,
08:49
but I had to spend almost all my money
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ali morala sam potroštiti gotovo sav novac
08:53
to bribe the border guards in Laos.
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kako bih potkupila čuvare na granici u Laosu.
08:56
But even after we got past the border,
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Iako smo uspjeli proći granicu,
08:59
my family was arrested and jailed
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moja je obitelj bila uhićena i zatvorena
09:02
for illegal border crossing.
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zbog ilegalnog prijelaska granice.
09:04
After I paid the fine and bribe,
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Nakon što sam platitla globu i mito,
09:06
my family was released in one month,
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moja je obitelj bila oslobođena nakon mjesec dana,
09:10
but soon after, my family was arrested and jailed again
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ali ubrzo nakon toga ponovo su bili uhićeni i zatvoreni
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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To je bila jedna od mojih najtežih točaka u životu.
09:21
I did everything to get my family to freedom,
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Učinila sam sve kako bih oslobodila obitelj,
09:26
and we came so close,
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i došli smo tako blizu,
09:29
but my family was thrown in jail
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ali moja je obitelj bila bačena u zatvor
09:31
just a short distance from the South Korean embassy.
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samo malo udaljen od Južno Korejske ambasade.
09:34
I went back and forth between the immigration office
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Išla sam naprijed nazad između ureda za imigracije
09:37
and the police station,
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i policijske postaje,
09:39
desperately trying to get my family out,
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očajnički pokušavajući izvući svoju obitelj,
09:42
but I didn't have enough money
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ali nisam više imala dovoljno novaca
09:44
to pay a bribe or fine anymore.
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kako bih platila globu ili mito.
09:46
I lost all hope.
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Izgubila sam svu nadu.
09:48
At that moment, I heard one man's voice ask me,
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Na trenutak, čula sam kako me muški glas pita
09:52
"What's wrong?"
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"U čemu je problem?"
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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kako je totalnom strancu stalo pitati.
09:59
In my broken English, and with a dictionary,
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Sa svojim lošim engleskim i sa rječnikom,
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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muškarac je otišao na bankomat
10:07
and he paid the rest of the money for my family
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i platio ostatak novaca za moju obitelj
10:10
and two other North Koreans to get out of jail.
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i dvoje ostalih Sjeverno Koreanaca kako bi izašli iz zatvora.
10:14
I thanked him with all my heart, and I asked him,
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Zahvalila sam mu svim srcem, i onda sam ga upitala,
10:18
"Why are you helping me?"
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"Zašto mi pomažeš?"
10:20
"I'm not helping you," he said.
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"Ne pomažem ti", rekao je.
10:22
"I'm helping the North Korean people."
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"Pomažem ljudima iz Sjeverne Koreje".
10:26
I realized that this was a symbolic moment in my life.
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Shvatila sam da je to bio značajan trenutak u mom životu.
10:30
The kind stranger symbolized new hope for me
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Ljubazan stranac je simbolizirao nadu za mene
10:34
and the North Korean people when we needed it most,
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i ljude iz Sjeverne Koreje kada smo je trebali najviše,
10:37
and he showed me the kindness of strangers
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i pokazao mi je da dobrota stranca
10:40
and the support of the international community
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i potpora međunarodne zajednice
10:43
are truly the rays of hope we North Korean people need.
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su uistinu zrake nade koje mi, ljudi iz Sjeverne Koreje trebamo.
10:48
Eventually, after our long journey,
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Na kraju, nakon našeg dugog putovanja,
10:51
my family and I were reunited in South Korea,
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moja obitelj i ja sastali smo se u Južnoj Koreji.,
10:54
but getting to freedom is only half the battle.
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ali doći do slobode je samo polovica bitke.
10:58
Many North Koreans are separated from their families,
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Mnogo Sjeverno Koranaca su odvojeni od svojih obitelji,
11:01
and when they arrive in a new country,
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i kada stignu u novu zemlju,
11:04
they start with little or no money.
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započinju s malo ili bez novaca.
11:08
So we can benefit from the international community
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Tako možemo imati koristi od međunarodne zajednice
11:11
for education, English language training,
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za obrazovanje, učenje engleskog jezika,
11:14
job training, and more.
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osposobljavanja za posao i ostalo.
11:16
We can also act as a bridge
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Možemo također djelovati kao most
11:18
between the people inside North Korea
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između ljudi unutar Sjeverne Koreje
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 od nas 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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i šaljemo informacije i novac
11:30
that is helping to change North Korea from inside.
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koji pomažu promijeniti Sjevernu Koreu iznutra.
11:35
I've been so lucky, received so much help
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Ja sam imala toliko sreće, primila sam toliko puno pomoći
11:38
and inspiration in my life,
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i inspiracije u svom životu,
11:40
so I want to help give aspiring North Koreans
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pa želim pomoći Sjeverno Koreancima koji to žele
11:43
a chance to prosper
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šansu za napredovanje
11:46
with international support.
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sa međunarodnom potporom.
11:49
I'm confident that you will see more and more
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Uvjerena sam da ćete vidjeti više i više
11:51
North Koreans succeeding all over the world,
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Sjeverno Koreanaca kako uspjevaju u cijelom svijetu,
11:54
including the TED stage.
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uključujući TED pozornicu.
11:57
Thank you.
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Hvala Vam.
11:59
(Applause)
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(Pljesak)
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