New Monument for North Korean Defectors Unveiled Near the DMZ
|Here is the newest addition to the Odusan Observatory:
Oh Eun Jeong, a poet who fled North Korea in 2009, left behind a younger sister for whom she still longs. Oh, profiled by The Washington Post in 2018 as one of many young North Korean defectors thriving with new lives in the South, said that longing motivated her to write poetry. “I think about my sister every day,” she told Stars and Stripes by phone Aug. 8. “Knowing she’s still there while I’m here makes my heart heavy.” Oh and other former North Koreans now have a place to bring those sentiments. On Aug. 1, the South Korean Ministry for Unification unveiled a monument to those who escaped the North or lost their lives in the attempt. “This monument gives me a place to express that longing, even if I can’t be with her,” Oh said.
You can read more at the link.
I wonder how she contrived to escape without her sis. I realize this sort of thing happens all the time: families get separated for this or that reason. I’m just curious as to her particular case.