Defectors fear impact of mounting skepticism of accounts told by celebrated N. Korean escapee
2024-05-28 22:33:19
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| North Korean defector and U.S. celebrity Park Yeon-mi / Korea Times file |
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Some North Korean defectors are growing concerned about the possible impact on their community from media reports focusing on Park Yeon-mi, another escapee from the North who became a celebrity in the U.S. for her outspoken criticism of the repressive regime.
Park, 29, is accused of making inconsistent remarks about her upbringing and experiences, as well as questionable descriptions of her country of birth.
"She has gone too far," Kim Byeong-uk, a North Korean defector and the founder and president of the small think tank North Korea Development Institute in Seoul told The Korea Times, referring to Korean media reports that quoted a recent article about her in the Washington Post.
"I think she exaggerated her past experiences and the way of the North, probably because she wanted to be at the center of attention."
Park arrived in Seoul in 2009, two years after escaping from the North. She drew media attention in 2012 for her tearful testimony about her family on a TV show, titled "Now On My Way to Meet You."
On the show, she told a heart-wrenching story of her father. According to her, she, along with her father and mother, escaped from the North and lived in China for two years.
Her harrowing story reached a peak when she spoke about a silent funeral she and her mother held for her father who passed away. She said as illegal aliens living in China, she and her mother had to hold back their tears due to fears of getting caught by Chinese security agents. They buried him in a mountain near their home at night.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke about the experience. Other participants on the show were crying too.
Park went to study in the United States in 2017 and settled there after marrying an American. The couple later divorced.
Park gave a contradicting narrative about her father on a U.S. YouTube channel. She said she and her mother left her father behind in the North without telling him about their defection.
She is also accused of having exaggerated the life she lived in North Korea.
Her inconsistent narratives have called into question the credibility of her testimonies.
Kim Seong-min, the president of Free North Korea Radio, said he regrets the allegations about Park.
"She was a teen when she arrived in South Korea," he said. "She was and still is young and I'm a little bit skeptical about an activist like her, partly because, compared to other North Korean defectors-turned-human rights activists, she didn't have many experiences to tell."
Kim stopped short of criticizing Park directly, and declined to comment in great detail about her. But he cautiously expressed worries about the possible repercussions of media reports about Park on other human rights activists working in Europe or the United States.
"Europe and the United States are certainly two great places for North Korean human rights activists. There are audiences who are interested in and aware of the issue. Because the audiences are willing to listen, launching a human rights movement there is much more effective than in any other region of the world. I mean it's easier to make our voices heard there," he said.
The Washington Post on Sunday published an investigative story about Park, questioning her inconsistencies. Other defectors living in South Korea learned of the news after a couple of Korean media outlets ran similar stories, quoting the U.S. media outlet.
Before the allegations, Park was a rising star who captured the hearts of right-wing Americans by pitching conservative ideas.
An Chan-il, chairman of the World North Korea Research Center in Seoul, said other defectors could suffer the consequences of Park's actions.
"People may think North Korean defectors are liars," he said.
Park did not respond to requests for comments from this reporter through her Twitter account.
（作者：汽车音响）
