North Korean Refugee Stories: Meet Sang Hoon
Growing up, Sang Hoon didn’t think the outside world was all bad. He saw U.S. aid coming into North Korea and, contrary to what the regime said, he heard that South Korea was flourishing. His curiosity about other countries prompted him to consider a job in foreign diplomacy.
Unfortunately, Sang Hoon wasn’t able to pursue his goals in North Korea. In fact, he didn’t even have a place to live. He made due by spending his nights with friends and relatives, but not having a place of his own was a constant struggle. His desire to escape grew, but he didn’t know how until he met someone who helped him get across the border.
Once he made it into China, he was impressed by how many lights there were. Back in North Korea, he was lucky to find enough electricity to charge his razor.
Now safely in South Korea, Sang Hoon is eager to learn new things. He’s in his early 50s, but he truly believes that age is just a number. For the past two months, he’s taken computer classes from early in the morning until late at night. As a result of his hard work, he received four computer certificates in a short period of time. He has also been getting to know people in different career fields to figure out what options are available to him.
You can help more North Korean refugees like Sang Hoon reach freedom and thrive in their resettlement!
