第一个登上TED演讲的朝鲜女孩：10年换了7个名字背后的真实故事

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这是一个关于生存和希望的故事，同时也是对那些远在他乡、却仍然时刻生活在恐惧中的朝鲜人一个鲜明有力的提醒。无数女孩的童年是快活的，而她的童年却被死亡、饥饿牢牢占据；无数女孩的成长路是斑斓绚丽的，但她的每一步都性命攸关；无数女孩正在抱怨的生活恰是朝鲜姑娘们的梦想，所以，“我并不是在帮助你，我是在帮助朝鲜的人们。”

Hyeonseo Lee：我的朝鲜逃亡记

When I was little, I thought my country was the best on the planet. And I grew up singing a song called "Nothing To Envy." And I was very proud. In school, we spent a lot of time studying the history of Kim Il-Sung, but we never learned much about the outside world, except that America, South Korea, Japan are the enemies. Although I often wondered about the outside world, I thought I would spend my entire life in North Korea, until everything suddenly changed.

当我还是个孩子的时候，我认为我的国家是世界上最好的。我大一点后学会了一首叫做"无可羡慕"的歌，我觉得十分自豪。在学校，我们用很多时间来学习金日成的历史，但是我们从来没有对外面的世界有过太多了解，除了知道美国、韩国和日本是敌人外。虽然我也时常憧憬外面的世界，我以为我会在朝鲜度过我的一生，直到所有事情都忽然改变。

When I was seven years old, I saw my first public execution. But I thought my life in North Korea was normal.My family was not poor, and myself, I had never experienced hunger.

当我七岁的时候，我第一次见证了公开处决，但是我认为我在朝鲜的生活很正常。我的家庭并不贫穷。而且对我自己来说，我从来没有体验过饥饿的感觉。

But one day, in 1995, my mom brought home a letter from a coworker's sister. It read, "When you read this,our five family members will not exist in this world, because we haven't eaten for the past three weeks. We are lying on the floor together, and our bodies are so weak, we are waiting to die."

但是1995年的一天，我妈妈带了一封信回家是从她同事的姐妹那里寄来的。上面写道，”当你读到这封信时,我家的所有五个人都将离开人世。 因为我们已经连续两周没有吃东西了。 我们现在一起躺在地板上， 我们的身体都太虚弱，准备等死。“

I was so shocked. This was the first time I heard that people in my country were suffering. Soon after, when I was walking past a train station, I saw something terrible that to this day I can't erase from my memory. A lifeless woman was lying on the ground, while an emaciated child in her arms just stared helplessly at his mother's face. But nobody helped them, because they were so focused on taking care of themselves and their families.

我当时非常震惊，那是我第一次听到活在我的国家的人们所在承受的一切。在这之后不久，当我走过一个火车站时，我看到一件非常痛心的事情让我难以忘怀。 一个奄奄一息的女人正躺在地上， 怀里抱着一个虚弱的孩子， 那个孩子只能绝望地望着他母亲的脸。 但是没有人帮助他们， 因为大家连自己和自己的家人都无法顾全。

A huge famine hit North Korea in the mid-1990s. Ultimately, more than a million North Koreans died during the famine, and many only survived by eating grass, bugs and tree bark. Power outages also became more and more frequent, so everything around me was completely dark at night, except for the sea of lights in China, just across the river from my home. I always wondered why they had lights, but we didn't. This is a satellite picture showing North Korea at night, compared to neighbors.

90年代中期朝鲜发生了一次严重的饥荒。 很不幸地，超过一百万朝鲜人 饿死在饥荒里。并且很多幸存者 是依靠吃草、虫子和树根活下来的。 停电也变得越来越频繁， 到了晚上我周围的一切都变得漆黑一片，除了中国的灯火通明，只要穿过我家旁的河就是。我经常思考为什么他们有灯火而我们没有。 这是一张卫星图，拍摄了夜晚的朝鲜和周边国家的比较。

This is the Amnok River, which serves as a part of the border between North Korea and China. As you can see, the river can be very narrow at certain points, allowing North Koreans to secretly cross. But many die.Sometimes, I saw dead bodies floating down the river. I can't reveal many details about how I left North Korea, but I only can say that during the ugly years of the famine, I was sent to China to live with distant relatives. But I only thought that I would be separated from my family for a short time. I could have never imagined that it would take 14 years to live together.

这是鸭绿江，作为着中国和朝鲜边界的一部分。如同你们所见，这条河在某些地方非常窄，窄到朝鲜人能借此偷渡到中国。但是很多尝试偷渡的人死了。有时候我看见尸体浮在水面上。我不能披露太多我离开朝鲜时的细节，但是我只能说那是在饥荒中最艰难的几年，我被送到中国和远亲一起住。当时我以为，我只是和我的家人分开很短一段时间。但是我从没想到，经历了14年我们才得以重聚。

In China, it was hard living as a young girl without my family. I had no idea what life was going to be like as a North Korean refugee. But I soon learned it's not only extremely difficult, it's also very dangerous, since North Korean refugees are considered in China as illegal migrants. So I was living in constant fear that my identity could be revealed, and I would be repatriated to a horrible fate, back in North Korea.

在中国，我作为一个没家的小女孩过得很辛苦。我根本不知道，身为一个朝鲜的难民我未来的生活会怎样。但是我很快意识到那生活不但充满了艰辛，甚至无比危险。 因为朝鲜难民在中国被视为非法移民，所以我总是生活在恐惧中，我害怕我的身份会被人发现。 我会被遣送回朝鲜， 去接受悲惨的命运。

One day, my worst nightmare came true, when I was caught by the Chinese police, and brought to the police station for interrogation. Someone had accused me of being North Korean, so they tested my Chinese language abilities, and asked me tons of questions. 

有一天，我最糟糕的恶梦成真了，我被中国警察抓住并带去警察局接受审问。有人指控我是朝鲜人，所以警察测试了我的汉语能力，并且问了我很多问题。

I was so scared. I thought my heart was going to explode. If anything seemed unnatural, I could be imprisoned and repatriated. I thought my life was over. But I managed to control all the emotions inside me, and answer the questions. After they finished questioning me, one official said to another, "This was a false report. She's not North Korean." And they let me go. It was a miracle.

我当时非常害怕，感觉我的心都快因恐惧而爆炸了。如果有任何异样，我就会入狱并被遣送回去， 我以为我这辈子完了。 尽管如此，我还是努力隐藏了自己的恐惧和担忧， 并回答了他们的问题。 这之后，一个警察对另一个人说，“ 报告是错误的，她不是朝鲜人。” 然后他们放我走了。真是个奇迹。

Some North Koreans in China seek asylum in foreign embassies. But many can be caught by the Chinese police, and repatriated. These girls were so lucky. Even though they were caught, they were eventually released, after heavy international pressure. These North Koreans were not so lucky. Every year, countless North Koreans are caught in China and repatriated to North Korea, where they can be tortured, imprisoned, or publicly executed.

一些朝鲜人在中国到外国大使馆去寻求庇护，但是很多人被中国警察抓住，并被送回朝鲜。这些女孩是幸运的，尽管她们被抓住了，但是迫于巨大的国际舆论压力她们最终被释放了。但还有一些朝鲜人就没那么幸运了。每年，无数的朝鲜人在中国被捕 并被遣送， 回到朝鲜后，他们被折磨、关押或者被公开处决。

Even though I was really fortunate to get out, many other North Koreans have not been so lucky. It's tragic that North Koreans have to hide their identities and struggle so hard just to survive. Even after learning a new language and getting a job, their whole world can be turned upside down in an instant. That's why, after 10 years of hiding my identity, I decided to risk going to South Korea. And I started a new life yet again.

尽管我足够幸运能离开朝鲜，我的好多同胞却没有这样的好运气。这是个很悲惨的事实，那就是朝鲜人必须要隐姓埋名，如此努力仅仅为了能生存下去。即使他们学会了中文，找到了工作，他们的整个世界也会在顷刻间颠覆。这就是为什么，在隐姓埋名10年后，我决定冒险去韩国。就这样，我又一次开始了新的生活。

Settling down in South Korea was a lot more challenging than I had expected. English was so important in South Korea, so I had to start learning my third language. Also, I realized there was a wide gap between North and South. We are all Korean, but inside, we have become very different, due to 67 years of division. I even went through an identity crisis. Am I South Korean or North Korean? Where am I from? Who am I?Suddenly, there was no country I could proudly call my own.

在韩国定居比我想象的更加困难并且充满了挑战。英语在韩国太重要了，所以我必须要开始学习第三门语言——英语。此外，我意识到，韩国与朝鲜之间有巨大的差异。尽管我们都是朝鲜族人，但是我们的内在已经变得非常不同了，由于67年的分裂。我甚至经历了自我身份的质疑。我到底是韩国人还是朝鲜人？我从哪里来？我是谁？突然间，我似乎无法骄傲地称任何一个国家为我自己的国家。

Even though adjusting to life in South Korea was not easy, I made a plan -- I started studying for the university entrance exam.

尽管适应韩国的生活并不是易事，但是我还是决定准备大学入学考试。

Just as I was starting to get used to my new life, I received a shocking phone call. The North Korean authorities intercepted some money that I sent to my family, and, as a punishment, my family was going to be forcibly removed to a desolate location in the countryside. They had to get out quickly. So I started planning how to help them escape.

就在我刚开始习惯新生活不久，我接到了一个令人震惊的电话。朝鲜政府拦截了 我寄回家的部分钱款， 作为惩罚，我的家人要被 强制搬走， 搬到农村的一个偏僻的地方去。 他们必须要赶快逃走， 所以我开始计划帮助他们逃脱。

North Koreans have to travel incredible distances on the path to freedom. It's almost impossible to cross the border between North Korea and South Korea. So, ironically, I took a flight back to China and headed toward the North Korean border. Since my family couldn't speak Chinese, I had to guide them somehow through more than 2,000 miles in China, and then into Southeast Asia. 

朝鲜人通往自由的道路是如此遥不可及。要想穿越朝鲜与韩国的边境几乎是不可能的，所以，颇具讽刺意味的是，我坐飞机到了中国然后再前往中朝边境。因为我的家人不懂中文，所以我得帮助他们在中国穿越2000多公里，进入东南亚。 

The journey by bus took one week, and we were almost caught several times. One time, our bus was stopped and boarded by a Chinese police officer.He took everyone's I.D. cards, and he started asking them questions. Since my family couldn't understand Chinese, I thought my family was going to be arrested. As the Chinese officer approached my family, I impulsively stood up, and I told him that these are deaf and dumb people that I was chaperoning. He looked at me suspiciously, but luckily, he believed me.

我们在巴士上的旅途有一周之久， 好几次都差点被抓住。又一次，我们坐的巴士被拦下了， 一个中国警官上了车，他查看每个人的身份证，并开始问问题。因为我的家人不懂中文，我害怕他们会被抓住。所以当那个中国警官快检查到我家人时，我本能地站起来告诉他这几位是聋哑人，我是他们的监护人。他怀疑地看着我，但幸运地，他相信了我的话。

We made it all the way to the border of Laos. But I had to spend almost all my money to bribe the border guards in Laos. But even after we got past the border, my family was arrested and jailed for illegal border crossing. After I paid the fine and bribe, my family was released in one month. But soon after, my family was arrested and jailed again, in the capital of Laos.

就这样我们一路来到了老挝，但是我却要几乎花光全部积蓄来贿赂老挝的边境警察。而且即使我们过了这一关，我的家人还是因非法入境，被捕入狱了。在我交了罚金和贿赂用的钱后，我的家人一个月后被释放了，但不久后，他们在老挝的首都，又被抓起来了。

This was one of the lowest points in my life. I did everything to get my family to freedom, and we came so close, but my family was thrown in jail, just a short distance from the South Korean embassy. I went back and forth between the immigration office and the police station, desperately trying to get my family out. but I didn't have enough money to pay a bribe or fine anymore. I lost all hope.

那是我人生中最低落的时刻之一。我为了让我的家人获得自由，倾尽所能然而就在快要成功的时候，家人却又要经历牢狱之灾，并且这个监狱离朝鲜大使馆并不远。我在移民局和警察局，来来回回折腾了好多次，绝望地努力着，希望能把他们救出来，但是我已没有足够的钱来贿赂或是交罚金了。我心灰意冷。

At that moment, I heard one man's voice ask me, "What's wrong?" I was so surprised that a total stranger cared enough to ask. In my broken English, and with a dictionary, I explained the situation, and without hesitating, the man went to the ATM, and he paid the rest of the money for my family, and two other North Koreans to get out of jail.

就在这时，我听见一个人问我，“怎么了？”我很是诧异，一个完全的陌生人这样关切地询问。我用蹩脚的英文再借助字典，毫不犹豫地向那个人解释了情况。那个人走去ATM机，为我的家人以及另两个朝鲜人支付了出狱的剩余的所有费用。

I thanked him with all my heart, and I asked him, "Why are you helping me?"

"I'm not helping you," he said. "I'm helping the North Korean people."

我真心地感谢他，并问道，“你为什么要帮助我？”

“我并不是在帮助你，”他回答，“我是在帮助朝鲜的人们。“

I realized that this was a symbolic moment in my life. The kind stranger symbolized new hope for me and the North Korean people, when we needed it most. And he showed me that the kindness of strangers and the support of the international community are truly the rays of hope we North Korean people need.

我当时就意识到那是我人生很有象征意义的一个时刻。那个善良的陌生人象征着我以及朝鲜人最需要的希望。他使我明白，陌生人的善意和国际社会的支持真是我们朝鲜人需要的希望之光。

Eventually, after our long journey, my family and I were reunited in South Korea. But getting to freedom is only half the battle. Many North Koreans are separated from their families, and when they arrive in a new country, they start with little or no money. 

最终，在经历了漫长的旅行后，我和家人终于在韩国重聚。但是获得自由只是打赢了战争的一半。很多朝鲜人和他们的家人分离，并且当他们来到新的国家时，他们通常都只有很少的钱，或者身无分文。

So we can benefit from the international community for education, English language training, job training, and more. We can also act as a bridge between the people inside North Korea and the outside world. Because many of us stay in contact with family members still inside, and we send information and money that is helping to change North Korea from inside.

所以我们可以通过国际社会的帮助来接受教育，英语培训，工作培训等等。 我们还可以作为 世界与生活在朝鲜的同胞之间 的沟通桥梁。 因为我们很多人都和 生活在朝鲜的家人保持联系。我们寄送回去的信息和钱都在内在地改变朝鲜。

I've been so lucky, received so much help and inspiration in my life, so I want to help give aspiring North Koreans a chance to prosper with international support. I'm confident that you will see more and more North Koreans succeeding all over the world, including the TED stage.

我是如此幸运，在人生中得到了这么多帮助和启示，所以我想帮助那些心怀梦想的朝鲜人在国际的援助下，一个实现梦想的机会。我有信心你们将会看到越来越多的朝鲜人在世界的舞台上取得成功，包括TED这个舞台。

Thank you.(Applause)

谢谢（掌声）

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