On Wednesday, February 7th, during an event hosted by YAF in the Vallejo theater at UVU, Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector, spoke against the dangers of Communism and Socialism while proclaiming the need to stand for freedom. Park’s story began with her escape from North Korea when she was thirteen. Enduring slavery and atrocious living conditions, she eventually fled from China to South Korea, where she received an education at Dongguk University. She then moved to New York and attended Columbia University.
As she recounted her struggles with integrating into American society, Yeonmi explained how one of the most difficult adjustments for her was understanding basic concepts such as freedom or oppression, as there is no word for “oppression” in the North Korean language. Park contended that, coming from a totalitarian system, the only thing that she could willingly do herself was breathe. Every other action was done at the behest of the regime. As a result, she realized that living in freedom was extremely difficult. She wanted other people to tell her what to wear, how to act, and what to choose. This realization caused her to learn that “freedom was responsibility.” As one makes choices and decisions, that individual must take ownership of those choices and accept the consequences.
During her time at Columbia University, Park was confronted by the very same ideology and perspective that she had fled from in North Korea. She described that many of her friends in America wished that socialism were tried here. Shocked, she recalled asking them why they believed such a thing, to which they responded that America’s rampant inequality justified such a transformation. In essence, they argued that such a vast discrepancy proves the evils of capitalism. Referencing these sentiments, Park admonished the audience that “inequality is not a sign of oppression. It’s a sign of progress. [It is] something to cherish and celebrate.” By working hard and offering something to the world, one’s success can pay off.
Closing her address, Yeonmi Park implored her audience that Americans need to cherish and fight for the freedom they enjoy. She escaped from the horrors of North Korea to enjoy the freedoms offered here: “America has given someone like me a platform… someone who was treated like garbage.” If America falls to socialism and Communism, there is nowhere else on earth to escape to.
Written by: Adam Blake
Senior Contributor at the Cougar Chronicle
The Cougar Chronicle is an independent student-run newspaper and is not affiliated with Brigham Young University or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
