North Korean Refugee Stories: Meet Young Joo
Young Joo was born in North Korea and defected to China in search of a new life. After connecting with LiNK, she made the choice to resettle in South Korea and didn’t waste any time sitting idle.
Young Joo married another North Korean defector and is only a few months away from receiving her college degree in Chinese Language and Literature.
She continues to impress everyone with her hard work. The summer of her sophomore year, Young Joo beat out other qualified candidates to intern at an international bank. A year later, with the help of a LiNK scholarship, she decided to study abroad and focus on improving her English!
Traveling halfway across the world to live in a country where she didn’t know many people or fluently speak the language took much courage! Studying in the US, she would often go to the park alone and strike up conversations with strangers in order to practice speaking English. She found Americans to be very relaxed and friendly and thought the elderly were the most friendly. Though she cherishes the time she spent in the US, she is happy to be back in bustling South Korea with her husband.
Young Joo was just hired by one the biggest companies in South Korea. Excited to start her new job, she’s already said that she can’t wait to make money and be able to donate to LiNK’s work! While Young Joo’s story is one of determination and focus, it has proven worth it as she continues to flourish in her new life.
