Euna Lee: What I learned as a prisoner in North Korea
איונה לי: מה שלמדתי כאסירה בצפון קוריאה
Euna Lee strives to be a voice for the voiceless and a window for those with no access to outside information. Full bio
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what the young generation of workers want
שדור העובדים הצעיר רוצה,
was: don't just talk about impact,
אל תדברו על השפעה,
that I had when I was in college.
שהיתה לי כשהייתי בקולג'.
for those who live under injustice;
אלה שחיים תחת אי צדק
a documentary journalist,
עיתונאית דוקומנטרית,
that turned my life upside down.
about North Korean refugees
דוקומנטרי על פליטים מצפון קוריאה
of North Korean defectors use
צפון קוריאנים
of the frozen river,
the condition of the cold weather
of my team members shouted,
in green uniforms with rifles,
עם רובים במדים ירוקים,
don't let them shoot my head.
Laura Ling fall on her knees.
נופלת על ברכיה.
at that short moment,
leave her alone there
"Euna, I can't feel my legs."
מרגישה את הרגליים שלי".
by these two Korean soldiers.
הקיפו אותנו.
to take us to their army base.
לבסיס הצבאי שלהם.
would show up from China.
he raised his rifle to hit me,
כדי להכות אותי,
with these worst-case scenarios,
statement wasn't helping.
by these odd experiences.
כשאני אומרת החוויות המוזרות האלה.
under armistice for 63 years,
במשך 63 שנים,
in the '80s and '90s,
about North Korea.
being brutally killed
just because he said,
רק בגלל שהוא אמר,
defeating these fat, big, red pig,
שהביס את החזיר, השמן הגדול והאדום,
first leader at the time.
these horrible stories over and over
I dehumanized them,
ראיתי בהם יצורים בלתי אנושיים,
became equated
since I was out at the border.
strength to keep going."
in the enemy's hand?
I thought the worst case
חשבתי שהגרוע ביותר
we were all these red pigs?"
החזירים האדומים האלה? "
that I just showed you.
שהראיתי לכם זה עתה.
about my journey, my work,
על העבודה שלי שוב ושוב
the confession that they wanted to hear.
to be transferred.
nothing else to do,
שום דבר אחר לעשות,
to these two female guards
they were talking about.
from an affluent family.
with these colorful dresses,
עם שמלות צבעוניות אלה,
"My Heart Will Go On" --
"לבי ימשיך לפעום" --
to torture me without knowing.
in the morning to put on makeup,
this Chinese drama,
after watching this."
שלנו אחרי שצפינו בזה."
produced TV shows.
of a free mind than Guard A,
whenever she expressed herself.
בכל פעם שהביעה את עצמה.
all these female colleagues --
really happen in the US.
young couples are not even allowed
had gotten this information,
קיבלו את המידע הזה,
even before I said anything.
שאמרתי משהו.
that I was their prisoner,
to my high school classroom again.
grew up watching a similar cartoon,
גדלו כשהן צופות בסרטון מצויר דומה,
South Korea and the US.
דרום קוריאה וארצות הברית.
these people's anger was coming from.
של האנשים האלה הגיע.
learning that we are enemies,
שאנחנו אויבים,
that they would hate us
at Current TV at the time
עם הבוס שלי ב Current TV
of Stockholm Syndrome?"
between me and the interrogator
that we couldn't climb over.
לעבור מעליו.
each other as human beings
for our children.
the detention center.
about dating life in the US --
על סגנון הדייטים בארה"ב -
that I remember of North Korea:
ambassadors of our countries,
של מדינותינו,
has blurred as time has passed.
היטשטש ככל שחלף הזמן.
about North Korea provoking the US.
צפון קוריאה שמתגרה בארה"ב.
that when I was over there,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Euna Lee - JournalistEuna Lee strives to be a voice for the voiceless and a window for those with no access to outside information.
Why you should listen
A seasoned journalist with more than years of experience, Euna Lee is a television executive producer for Voice of America's Korean Service (VOA). Prior to VOA, she worked for Fusion media, AJ+ and Al Jazeera TV networks.
Lee’s name became widely known after she was captured by the North Korean regime while covering a human trafficking story for Current TV, a cable network co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore. She wrote a memoir, The World is Bigger Now, about her experience while detained in North Korea for 140 days.
Lee has received various awards for her fearless work, including McGill Medal by University of Georgia and Glamour magazine's Women of the Year Award in 2009. At VOA, she strives to be a voice for the voiceless and a window for those with no access to outside information. Born and raised in South Korea, Lee holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
Euna Lee | Speaker | TED.com