Has Yeonmi Park Been Exaggerating Her Claims About Her Life in North Korea?
It looks like the North Korean defector Yeonmi Park who has made international headlines about her defection from the country has been exaggerating some of the tales she has been telling:
You’d have to have been inhuman not to be moved. But – and you’re going to hear a lot of “buts” – was the story she told of her life in North Korea accurate? The more speeches and interviews I read, watch and hear Park give, the more I become aware of serious inconsistencies in her story that suggest it wasn’t. Whether this matters is up to the reader to decide, but my concern is if someone with such a high profile twists their story to fit the narrative we have come to expect from North Korean defectors, our perspective of the country could become dangerously skewed. We need to have a full and truthful picture of life in North Korea if we are to help those living under its abysmally cruel regime and those who try to flee.
“Celebrity Defector”
I met Yeonmi Park a few months ago when I spent two weeks filming a story about her and her family for Australia’s SBS Dateline. We called the story, “Celebrity Defector.”
Back in South Korea where she now lives, Park is one of the stars of a television program featuring a cast of North Korean women. It’s called “Now On My Way To Meet You” and it daringly satirizes the Kim Dynasty. The women tell personal anecdotes about their lives in North Korea and their journey to the south. A number of the women were introduced to us as having been homeless and starving – the reason they fled.
Buried in the shows archives are some snapshots of Park’s childhood in North Korea that explain why she’s known on the show as the Paris Hilton of North Korea. They’re in sharp contrast to the story she’s now telling her international audience. [The Diplomat]
You can read the rest at the link, but it is a very convincing case that Park has exaggerated circumstances of her defection to possibly help raise awareness and funding for the North Korean human rights organizations she has been working with.
Here is Yeonmi Park’s response to this article:
I want to thank Mary Ann Jolley for caring so much about the terrible situation in North Korea that she would point out any inconsistencies in my quotes and how my story has been reported. Much of the time, there was miscommunication because of a language barrier. I have only learned English in the last year or so, and I’m trying hard to improve every day to be a better advocate for my people. I apologize for any misunderstandings. For example, I never said that I saw executions in Hyesan. My friends’ mother was executed in a small city in central North Korea where my mother still has relatives (which is why I don’t want to name it). And there are mountains you can even see on Google Earth – maybe you call them big hills in English – outside of Hyesan that we crossed to escape. There are many more examples like this.
But one very important thing to correct: I do not have a foundation. The website was a dummy site built by a friend, and it was not supposed to be live. There was no way it could accept money, and I haven’t taken any. I am so sorry for the confusion. The site has been taken down.
Also, I apologize that there have been times when my childhood memories were not perfect, like how long my father was sentenced to prison. Now I am checking with my mom and others to correct everything. I am also writing a book about my life in North Korea, my escape through China and and my work to promote human rights. It is where I will be able to tell my full story.
In the meantime, I thank you all for your patience and kindness to me.
I think most of the inconsistencies are pretty minor that could be explained by poor memory and English language skills other than the story of her mother being raped. If that is not true then that is a flat out lie. The organizations that promote defector testimony like this need to be very careful to not have defectors exaggerate or lie because this just plays into the hands of the Kim regime and its apologists. The truth about North Korea is bad enough, there is no need to lie about it.
liar
Yeon-mi liar Park Mary Ann Jolley BOTH ARE LIARS
She is a fraud a con artist, sociopath, you can’t even find any reports on anything her activist group has done for anyone. She just keeps getting more sappy and snotty and self promoting while shaming her victims, and richer. She says she is the chosen one. Are you kidding? You absolutely said you saw an execution in front of your eyes. You said it at least 10 times, “I watched my friend’s mother get executed in front of my eyes!” I’m sorry, but the excuses for her stories are just plain low brain thinking. There is no validity to the excuses. How about the truth? How about $500.00 for story, $5,000.00 for embellished story, $1,000,000.00 to slam Kim Jong Un as much as possible. How about out her innocence, virgin status, nakedness, tee hee, I don’t know what kiss means, tee hee aren’t I cute? Tells her sister to stop talking about her own trauma. What a heartless con job. A traumatized person does not 100% recover and become a socialite. She called real sufferers liars. She never saw anything bad in Norse Korea, she never saw anyone keerd, Look on her Channer, she still keeps lying. Her hospitur stay, having appendix removed without pain killer. Yeah, I can’t see mountains on google earth. It’s a shitty app. There are no mountains, but somehow you can see one on the other side in China. I wonder why that one is visible. Maybe cause the lights are on in China. Yeah, that’s it. You buried your father alone at 13 or 14, and you said it was a pain he died, not because you are sad that he is gone, but because of the extra burden it put on you. I heard a sociopath say something like that once. BTW, how was that bowl of rice? You know, the only reason you made the trip? Two men buried your dad after he was cremated, you tagged along and carried the ashes. You weren’t cold and alone afterwards. You wipe invisible tears, wipe non-existent snot from your nose, and you move phantom hair out of your eyes. You fake cry, even though you could hold back your tears at your dad’s death to prevent being sent back to Norse Korea and be keerd. I wonder why the dogs didn’t get you where there were guards every 100 meters. Did you get a kick out of watching your mom get poked in your honor? or did that never ever happen? I don’t blame you taking advantage of the fools, but shame on you anyway. Wasn’t your dad and mom involved in human trafficking? Did your activist group turn your mom in to the authorities? You got your dad to beat her up pretty good tattling on her while you were making out with boys in dark places. But we can’t count on you being responsible for that because after all, you didn’t know the word “kiss.” You are scary empty in the head and anyone defending you is worse. There is no goodness in a person who would dupe kind hearted people and live it up in luxury in their faces. You get a pity degree from school or you are banging your teachers. You have a retard level IQ. It’s like a Hentai character came to life one day and decided to rake in the cash posing as other people. You got a perverted sick imagination, little cupcake. God help your kid and your husband. So where are all of the thankful mistreated humans that your activist group have been actively saving?
Surprised Fatty hasn’t killed her by now.
ATG seems incredibly triggered by a little girl.
ATG you are just repeating the north korean propaganda response that this little girl has already addressed. Also your degree of spelling errors may be a sign of your retard level IQ.
Of course she’s lying about everthing that happened in Norse Korea. That’s obviously fiction. Now, the stuff she’s described in North Korea, now that’s a real place and that stuff’s real.
I heard the Norse Korea’s nuclear program is based on a thorium reactor but they are much more loki about it.
I’m awarding a tie score to both JH and CH on this one.
But if I see a Norking longboat, I’m not stopping to see if their helmets have horns…
@setnaffa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QF3Cjbk1zU
JH, after that, you lose most of your points.
You know the point of the song, right? New religion, colonialism, slavery.
Now, Yusuf Islam (Stephens’ new name) wants to kill all the infidels… so you’re spreading hate, too…
“I’m being followed by a moon-shadow,” he sang in another song on the album. The crescent moon is a symbol of his new religion, which has many shadowy allies. Most of whom dissemble and prevaricate about their true purpose.
“Tea for the Tillerman” (the album name) is a reference to paying the boatman who takes you over the river Styx into Hades after you die.
Yusuf has merely “cut to the chase” — he wants to personally introduce non-believers to the boatman.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Stevens%27_comments_about_Salman_Rushdie
Or at least that’s how I read this.
Perhaps others see a different story in that song and singer? A naive view of innocence? UFOs coming to save us?
Have a blessed week!
I don’t have much to to say
except that Park got married to an American, she got her US. citizenship, had a kid, got a degree from Columbia, and conveniently
Zkicked her kid and husband to the curb,
Now this woman is making money and partying all over the world, I just wonder how many people got walked on for her to get to this point. This reiterates the old story about using people to get swhere you want to be. When these people are no longer of any use, they are kicked to the curb.. Then there are new people to use and discard.
I believe most of her Thoughts on North Korea !! You guys R either Naive or Dumb, Like most (Leftists) & the Sleepy Joe Crew. Before I retired (Army /Airforce) I was stationed on the DMZ 3 Years about a Mile or so from North Korea , was almost Killed, Many times .Infantry
& Air Assault. I am probably twice the age of some of you Clowns here.
South Korea Tore down our Military Compound (That was & is still
Needed) to help protect the south & opened a Tourist Attraction ,complete with Hot Dogs!! Yum ,B.S. If any one is a Liar or not telling the Truth it is South Korea,2 faced folks !!! Fine Babes Though!!
I have Lots of (Let’s Say Connections) & must agree, her Stories R
True & a lot R from Folks in the South Korean Govt. Read her Books,
then form your opinions, forget the stupid Podcasts!! On most of the U.S. & China Speeches ,She speaks the Truth!! so quit calling her a
Liar, on Everything. I have seen with my own eyes Things on North
Korea !!
I am not Scared of any one, Now working Upper Echelon Law
Enforcement. China All Ready OWNS the good ole left wing U.S.A.
So, U bored People : Get a Real Life , May be McDonalds !!
Former Korean President Moon is the guy you should be blaming for tearing down the defenses. He was as bad as Biden is.
However, the Norkistanis are weaker than the neocons claim. “Only a few thousand extra” South Koreans will die from Moon’s dabbling in treason, if Kim Fatty attacks.
Yoon might be able to fix it; but he may not be allowed to do so.
I see that the Setnaffarian leader is now doubling down on his extreme right wing message.
Glad to see his true hate spreading illogical self.
I would be interested in hearing what ROK Drop Owner/Operator has to say on this. I do not think he would be in the rabid leftist camp on this one.
I have seen firsthand how some S. Koreans use the defectors to get money with their story, so I get it that it works both ways.
I find it interesting many are offended that a NK defector is enterprising enough to make her own money without machinery help.
What monumental lies are exactly in play? The article was mostly vague and gave very minor detail. My own country has a president who is lying about receiving millions of USA from China and Ukraine… and most of my country is OK with that… but the same leftists are up in arms about a woman making some smaller millions for herself with alleged misrepresentation of materially inconsequential things.
Did she lie about lack of basic humanity and freedom in NK during her stay there?
Did she lie about her mom being made a trafficked worker in front of her eyes after she escaped into China?
Did she lie about being trafficked herself?
Did she lie about Columbia U being as much or more leftist than NK in anti-USA propaganda?
I do not hear the article disputing any of that.
Use sum salt and discernment everyone.