North Korean Refugee Stories: Meet Ji Min

Ji Min has one thing he’d like to say to Kim Jong Un: “I wish you could just find some way to turn the common people into kings.” What he means by that is that he thinks it’s unfair how everyday North Koreans are struggling through no fault of their own while a small elite lives like kings.

Ji Min became disillusioned with the political and economic situation in North Korea when he was prevented from advancing his career in Pyongyang because of some alleged political faux-pas his father had committed. Dejected, Ji Min returned to his hometown, where he had a hard time finding work, even doing menial labor. In fact, as he looked around him, he was struck by the disparity in the quality of life between the elites he had seen and worked with in Pyongyang and the common people who lived in the countryside.

When he left North Korea, Ji Min’s original intention was to temporarily trade goods in China to support his daughter and then return to North Korea, but when he saw what lay before him in China and South Korea and what awaited him if he attempted to return to North Korea, his choice was clear.

Now safely on his way to resettlement and freedom, Ji Min doesn’t know exactly what he will do with his new life. What he does know, however, is that he wants to help other North Koreans escape to freedom just as he did. He’s met North Koreans who want to escape to a better life but aren’t able to because they don’t have resources or connections. His only regret is that he couldn’t provide the life for his daughter that she deserves. He hopes that someday he’ll be able to make it up to her.

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