Why Is Yeonmi Park on Kim Jong-Un's Kill List?

TL;DR

Yeonmi Park reveals she is on Kim Jong-un's kill list due to her outspoken criticism of the North Korean regime. Following her defection, she faced character assassination and propaganda attacks from both the regime and sympathisers, while her family was forced to denounce her publicly.

Transcript

what have been some of the repercussions of you defecting have you ever been threatened or has there been intelligence surveillance ever done on you or anything like that well I mean we're gonna even begin uh when I spoke out uh South Korea because intelligence informed me that I um I'm on the killing list of Kim Jong-un and kingdom was killing thi... Read More

Key Insights

• 🙊 Speaking out against the North Korean regime puts individuals at risk of being on the regime's killing list.
• 🇰🇵 Defectors face character assassinations, smear campaigns, and denunciation by their families and communities back in North Korea.
• 👻 YouTube's censorship policies seem inconsistent, allowing propaganda videos from the North Korean dictatorship while censoring content by defectors.
• 🇰🇵 Defectors from North Korea become targets for various ideological groups in the West, facing threats and hostility.
• 🇰🇵 South Korean intelligence plays a crucial role in informing and protecting defectors from North Korea.
• ❓ Discrepancies in geography and language can be used to discredit the stories of defectors.
• 🇰🇵 The confirmation of a defector's identity by North Korean authorities can provide some protection against accusations of being a fake.
• 🎙️ More videos with Yeonmi Park:
  • Yeonmi Park: Starvation is Suffering | Kelsi Sheren and Lex Fridman
  • Escaping from North Korea in search of freedom | Yeonmi Park | One Yo…
  • Yeonmi Park: North Korea | Lex Fridman Podcast #196

Questions & Answers

Q: What were the repercussions of your defection? Have you been threatened or under surveillance?

South Korean intelligence informed me that I was on Kim Jong-un's killing list due to my speaking out against the regime. While there have been no direct threats yet, I know there would be no repercussions for him if he were to carry out the act.

Q: What accusations were made against you after speaking out?

I was accused of being a CIA spy and spreading lies, as well as denying the existence of starvation and oppression in North Korea. The worst accusation was that I was labeled as ambitious and individualistic, which is heavily condemned in North Korea.

Q: How did discrepancies in geography and language try to discredit your story?

They used Google Maps to dispute whether the place I claimed to have lived in North Korea was a hill or a mountain. They also questioned my English-speaking ability, suggesting I was a fake person pretending to be North Korean. However, North Korea confirmed my identity through my birth certificate and released my parents' records.

Q: How did your defection make you a target in the West?

In America and the West, many sympathize with North Korea and harbor anti-American sentiments. As a result, speaking out against North Korea made me a target for Marxist, communist, and anti-western individuals, making me the enemy of the work.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The defector, Ji-Yeon Park, reveals that she was informed by South Korean intelligence that she was on Kim Jong-un's killing list for speaking out against the regime.

• As a result of her defection, her family and neighbors in North Korea were forced to denounce her on a propaganda channel, while she faced character assassinations and smear campaigns.

• Park also highlights the irony of YouTube censoring her videos but allowing videos made by the North Korean dictatorship, which further endangered her and her family.