The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story (41 page)

A slogan on a public building in Hyesan reads ‘Unification of the Fatherland. Our Great Leader Kim Il-sung is always with us.’

A picture from Changbai, China, across the border into Hyesan, North Korea. The river separating the two countries is very narrow here, and when it is frozen over, it is easier for North Koreans to escape. Because North Korean train schedules are so irregular, numerous people have died on the stretch of railroad tracks in the distance, jumping of to avoid an oncoming train.

In China a woman and a girl attempting to enter the Japanese consulate to seek asylum in South Korea are dragged out of the compound by the police. Due to international pressure, China later allowed the group to leave for South Korea. Since then, China has intensified security around foreign embassies. China regularly repatriates defectors to North Korea, where they are severely punished.

Our family at Navy Pier in Chicago. It was my mother’s first visit to America and she was frequently surprised by America’s development, and that many people were so friendly. She had been taught the opposite.

My mother and brother experiencing their first water fight. They said this was the most fun they had had in years. North Korea is a conservative society, so a water fight among family members is almost unheard of. My mother and brother have vowed to have a rematch in the future.

Testifying at a special session of the United Nations Security Council in April 2014. The session was historic, as it was the first time the Security Council specifically focused on North Korean human rights abuses.

Meeting the US ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power. Ambassador Power has been a strong advocate for the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), and endeavours to promote human rights.

The page numbers in this index relate to the printed version of this book; they do not match the pages of your ebook. You can use your ebook reader’s search tool to find a specific word or passage.

Ahn, Mr

as trader in Hyesan 41, 90

visited by Min-ho 89–90, 166, 230

visited by Min-young 95, 101–3

takes Min-young to see her relatives in Shenyang 103–4, 105–6

phone disconnected 115, 144

health of 146

hears but does not answer cellphone 151

death of 177

Ahn, Mrs 146–7, 177, 237

Americans 7, 22, 50, 59, 201, 288, 293

Anju 91

relocated to 15

family house in 16–18

bribery in 19–20

ideological indoctrination at kindergarten 21–4

outings and picnics 25–6

hangings in 27–9

departure from 29

Anseong 208–11

Aunt Old 13, 29, 65–6

Aunt Pretty 13–14, 29, 39, 169, 282

Aunt Sang-hee 109–10, 115–16, 131, 138

Aunt Tall 13, 29, 281

Baek Kyeong-sul 28

Baekam County 11, 66

Beijing Summer Olympics (2008) 200, 216–17

Bowibu
(secret police) 23, 76, 111, 135, 169, 181, 191, 209, 222, 225, 226

Brian

meets Min-young 286–7

impact on Min-young 287

meets Min-young’s family 288

asks Min-young to marry him 291

makes friends with Min-ho 293

brokers

paid by film documentary team 133, 173

tough but apparently honest 144–5, 163

hire thugs to ensure payment 148–9, 150–4

buy IDs for a fee 157–8

as marriage brokers 158

prepare documentation for apparently ‘lost’ passports 174–5, 181

talk through options for getting to South Korea 186–7

arrange fake South Korean passport 188

as human traffickers 191, 278

avoidance of 207

money owed to 210

as trustworthy 223

used only to get out of China 223, 225

agree to take Min-young’s family to Laos 244–8

fails to meet Min-young’s family in Laos 264

Carter, Jimmy 108

Chae Mi-ran
see
Park Min-young

Chai In-hee
see
Park Min-young

Chang, Mr 41, 90, 95, 101, 115, 146

Changbai 39–40, 41, 89–92, 131, 144, 148, 225, 228

Changbai Binguan hotel (Changbai) 225–6, 229

Changbai–Hyesan International Bridge (Friendship Bridge) 39, 64, 238

Changchun 148

China, Chinese

proximity to and trade with 11, 39–41, 56, 58

opium trade 24

propaganda concerning 50

Cultural Revolution 65

reaction to famine in North Korea 82

illegal visits to 89–90

crackdown on illegals in 200

difficulties for defectors 222–3, 225, 247

National Day 236

support Min-young’s views 290

Chongchon River 16

Choon-hi 136

Clinton, Bill 108

Coffee House (Luang Namtha) 255, 258, 259, 292

Cold War 5

Daeoh-cheon 41

Fang, Mr (broker) 244–8, 250, 263

father (biological)

marriage and divorce 8–9

sees photo of Min-young 45–6

has twin daughters 46

remarries 46

father (step-father)

love and courtship 4–7

marriage 9–10

promotions and transfers 15, 29, 31–2, 37, 39

military life 20

loyalty of 23–4

chases dragonflies with the children 25

relationship with Park Min-young 47, 53

becomes a businessman 53

saves portraits in house fire xiii–xiv, 53

brings back gifts from China 59–60

arrest, interrogation and death 64, 65–70, 107

Gangnam, South Korea 215

Geumcheon district (Seoul) 212

Geun-soo 116, 117–21, 131, 132, 139, 142, 224

grandfather (maternal) 6–7

grandmother (maternal)

family background 6

as ardent communist 7

arranges her daughter’s marriage to an official 7–8

hides Workers’ Party Card in the chimney 7, 293

takes opium 24

tells her granddaughter her true paternal parentage 44–6

grandparents (paternal)

reaction to marriage of their son 29–30

coolness towards Park Min-young 30, 46

warmth towards Min-ho 30

reaction to death of their son 69

Great Fatherland Liberation War 50

Guangxi Province 244

Guilin 244

Gyeong-hwoi-ru (restaurant in Koreatown, Xita) 128–31

Gyeonggi Province 208

Hamhung 14, 169, 226

relocated to 29, 31

life in 31–2

elementary education in 32–4

black markets 84–5

Han River 215

Hanawon (House of Unity) 208–11, 214, 218

Haojue (Chinese model) 222

Harbin 158–9, 191

Henan Province 241

Ho Chi Minh City 225

H.O.T. (pop stars) 90

Hyeonseo
see
Park Min-young

Hyesan

family homes in 3, 4–5, 7, 39

Americans in 7

as thriving hub of trade 11–12, 39–41, 90, 222

opium in 24–5

family gatherings 29–30

hospital in 67

famine and destitution in 81–3, 90, 217

Min-young warned not to return to 110, 111–15

crackdown on traders in 147, 181–2

Min-young sends goods to her family in 177–81

Min-young’s mother’s love for 181–2, 218, 220–1, 232–5

Hyun Chul (South Korean singer) 54

Hyundai 214

Incheon International Airport (Seoul) 187, 197–200

Jang, Mrs 117–21, 131–2, 142, 224

Jang Soon-hyang
see
Park Min-young

Japan, Japanese 7, 41, 107

Ji-woo 133–5, 142

John Hancock Center (Chicago) 293

Ju Hyun-mi (South Korean singer) 54

Kang, Mrs (teacher) 61–2

Kim

character and description 183–4, 185

dates Min-young 184–5

learns of Min-young’s true nationality 189–90

helps Min-young to go to Seoul 192

receives phone call from Min-young in Seoul 208–9

meets up with Min-young in Seoul 213

family and social background 215–16

learns of escape of Min-young’s family 248