North Korean Refugee Experiences

How did the speaker perceive her home country during her childhood?

• It was a struggling nation facing severe famine.

• It was the best country on the planet.

• It was a country isolated from the outside world.

• It was a place where public executions were common.

What event first made the speaker realize the suffering within her country?

• Witnessing a public execution at age seven.

• Seeing a satellite image of North Korea at night.

• Receiving a letter from a co-worker's sister describing starvation.

• Observing dead bodies floating down the Amnok River.

What was a significant consequence of the famine in North Korea during the mid-1990s?

• The government implemented new agricultural policies.

• Over a million North Koreans died.

• International aid organizations were allowed unrestricted access.

• Many citizens were able to cross into South Korea.

What was the primary fear for North Korean refugees living in China?

• Not being able to find employment.

• Being unable to learn the Chinese language.

• Being caught by Chinese police and repatriated to North Korea.

• Experiencing hunger and poverty.

What fate awaits North Korean refugees who are caught in China and repatriated to North Korea?

• They are typically given a warning and released.

• They are sent to re-education camps for a short period.

• They can be tortured, imprisoned, or publicly executed.

• They are offered assistance to return to their homes.

What was one of the main reasons the speaker experienced an identity crisis after settling in South Korea?

• She struggled to learn English.

• She missed her family in North Korea.

• She realized the significant cultural and societal differences between North and South Korea.

• She faced discrimination from South Koreans.

What punishment did the North Korean authorities intend to inflict on the speaker's family after intercepting the money she sent?

• Imprisonment in a labor camp.

• Forced relocation to a desolate area in the countryside.

• Execution for treason.

• Confiscation of all their property.

Why is it nearly impossible for North Koreans to cross the border directly into South Korea?

• The distance is too great.

• The border is heavily fortified and guarded.

• They lack the necessary travel documents.

• South Korea does not accept North Korean refugees directly.

How did the speaker manage to get her family past the Chinese police officer who stopped their bus?

• She bribed the officer with money.

• She showed them fake identification documents.

• She claimed her family was deaf and mute, and she was their chaperone.

• She convinced the officer they were tourists.

When the speaker asked the stranger why he helped her family, what was his response?

• He said he was helping her specifically.

• He stated he was helping North Korean people.

• He mentioned he was paid to help them.

• He said he was just being a good Samaritan.