Remembering North Korea: Today, I’m Happy Because I Can Have Ice Cream
By: Hyeyoung Woon
Hyeyong escaped from North Korea in 2009. She currently works as a financial accountant, and strives to grow her ability as a storyteller and writer to share her personal experiences as a North Korean defector.
There are days when happiness feels complicated.
And then there are days when it feels very simple.
For me, sometimes, it is just ice cream.
When I was young in North Korea, ice cream was very different.
We had “eoreum bosunge” which is sweet pink water frozen in a small metal can with a stick inside. It was icy and rough, and the taste was so strong. That was all I knew.
But everything changed on my first day in South Korea.
I went to a small neighborhood store with my mom and that was where I first saw an ice cream called “Pure Milk”.
At that time, I had just started becoming interested in the English language, so maybe that is why the name catch my eyes
I picked it up and took a bite.
And honestly, it felt like a different world.
It was soft, smooth, and full of real milk flavor.
Until then, ice cream had only meant frozen sweet water to me. I did not know something so simple could taste so real.
After that day, I kept choosing the same ice cream again and again.
Of course, now I know there are more expensive and famous ice creams in the world and, just like that, my life has changed too.
But maybe that is why I still choose Pure Milk.
Not because it is the best,
But because it reminds me of who I used to be.
When I first came to South Korea, everything felt new and exciting.
And little by little, this new world made me forget the old one.
Maybe that is part of growing up.
Or maybe it is part of learning how to survive in a new society.
But sometimes, I become afraid that my old memories are slowly fading away too.
That is why small things like this ice cream still matter to me.
They remind me of where I started.
They help me keep a part of myself that I do not want to lose.
And I still want to remember the girl who once believed pink frozen water was enough to be called ice cream.
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Hyeyoung is a participant of the LiNK English Language Program (LELP), which serves to not only help North Korean defectors build confidence and skills in English, but develop their capacity as advocates for this issue. To that end, we partnered with select LELP “columnists” to write and polish personal essays through multiple rounds of external feedback and revision. Our goal is to have more North Koreans share their stories directly and lead efforts to change the narrative.
We believe the North Korean people can achieve their liberty in our lifetime.
Opportunities like LELP invest in the people building that future now. Help more North Koreans find their voice, reach their goals, and lead change on this issue.
At the Forefront of North Korean Human Rights Work | LiNK Organizational Update
Liberty in North Korea welcomes Sarah Yun as our new Chief Regional Officer (CRO), South Korea, as our previous South Korea Country Director, Sokeel Park, transitions into a new role as our Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). Sarah and Sokeel will collaboratively lead LiNK’s South Korea operations while growing LiNK’s impact through their respective areas of expertise.
Over a Decade of Dedication to Human Rights
Sarah Yun brings a wealth of experience and expertise from her work to advance human rights in North Korea and across Asia during the past 15 years. She most recently served as the Country Director of Korea and Cambodia at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), managing the Institute’s operations and programs in the two countries.
Previously, Sarah was a Senior Manager for Asia at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), overseeing the Cambodia, Vietnam, North Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines programs and teams. Prior to her experience at the NED, she worked at the Center for International Private Enterprise where she managed the Cambodia and North Korea programs, in addition to the Papua New Guinea program and field office.
“I have had the opportunity to work on issues related to various countries in Asia at a variety of institutions throughout my career, but my greatest passion has always been to envision a North Korea where its people can choose their own future. I am deeply inspired by the stories and resilience of the North Korean people and am committed to supporting their leadership and efforts toward a better future.”
– Sarah Yun, LiNK CRO
Sarah holds a BA in Political Science and Business Institutions from Northwestern University and MA in International Relations and International Economics from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Her journey with LiNK began in college, when she came across her campus LiNK Team.
“I first learned about LiNK during my college years, when chapters began to emerge across the United States. Since then, I have respected the organization’s mission and work. When I was given the opportunity to work at LiNK, I had great anticipation and excitement at the thought of joining and supporting North Koreans' journey toward a free and open future. Together with the LiNK team, I hope to contribute to amplifying the leadership and voices of young North Korean defectors in creative and impactful ways.”
– Sarah Yun, LiNK CRO
A Strategic Shift
As LiNK continues to expand and refocus our programs in response to the evolving needs of this issue, there was a timely opportunity to bring on Sarah and diversify the organization’s impact.
As CRO, Sarah Yun will lead LiNK’s South Korea team, oversee our Capacity Building Programs, and represent the organization in South Korea. Sokeel Park will jointly represent LiNK alongside Sarah and maintain key collaborative efforts with external stakeholders. As CSO, Sokeel’s scope will also encompass the development of the organization’s broader strategy and Information Access Programs (IAP). Moving forward, IAP is an area of work which we are expanding as a crucial way to support North Koreans driving change inside the country, and achieve our vision.
North Korean refugees consistently tell us that getting more outside information into North Korea is crucial for empowering North Koreans to change their country. The importance of this area of work has only increased in recent years, so it is vital that we are able to increase the resources and time we are investing into these strategies. I’m extremely grateful to our donors for joining with us and making this expansion and these initiatives possible.”
– Sokeel Park, LiNK CSO
This is a challenging time for North Korean people, refugees, and the issue. We are grateful to Sarah for bringing her experience and expertise to LiNK and everyone whose support sustains our organization and enables us to grow.
We look forward to increasing our impact with Sarah’s leadership and sharing updates about our progress with our supporters.
