Seven years ago, a current Wright student escaped from North Korea by walking three months to arrive in China, lived in Thailand until he got the opportunity to come to America.
Andrew went through a lot of obstacles until he arrived in the US. The decision to escape from his native country was the hardest one he made as he left behind the most important thing to him without knowing when he could see them again: his family.
In North Korea, there is no law granting freedom of speech,. Media sources are controlled and suppressed, and people are afraid to express their opinions.“You can be shot if you talk bad about the government” said Andrew. “People focus on surviving. They don’t think about politics, internet or education because of the poverty in the country”.
At only 16 years old, Andrew left his house to go into the army where he served for three years. During Andrew’s service, his father passed away and he was unable to go home and say goodbye to the man who had always guided him. With a bitter voice, he recalls that the army did not allowed him to go home. Today he is left only with the memory of his father.
While in the army, Andrew met a wise older man who worked in International Diplomacy and travelled around the world. He considers himself lucky that he met him as he taught Andrew that there is a lot of beautiful places in the world. One morning Andrew woke up thinking “I want to see the world” and so the desire to discover the world found a place in his heart. Without this inspiration, Andrew probably would never have left his country. According to Andrew, “If he wasn’t there, I would not have escaped.”
Andrew’s first destination was China. He knew how great and daunting the risk of escaping was, but that was his only opportunity to change his life. With a soul full of fear and a heart full of hope, he crossed the border on a chilly summer night. He did not know what direction to go or what awaited him. He just swam in the cold water until he reached the shore. The heavy memory of that night pursued him. The escape was stressful and Andrew says, “Sometimes I had nightmares about the border. If I gave up I’d be dead.”
Andrew escaped from North Korea to walk over three months to China after swimming across. Three months were filled with hunger and fear of being found by spies. Even when he arrived in China, fate was not so easy on him. Without any identification, Andrew was homeless for six months.
It is not easy being a stranger and a runaway in a foreign country. After six months of being homeless, Andrew found a community of Koreans in China and started working at a restaurant. During his two years in China, he never got the opportunity to talk with his family as calls outside the country were controlled by the North Korean government. It was too dangerous for him to contact his family for security reasons. He recalls his fears that, “If the government knows I’m here, they will punish my family”.
After working for a year and a half in China, he was able to raise some money. Sometimes, he thought about going back to his family to help them. He felt the need to protect them and thought, “It’s my responsibility as the oldest son and big brother to help them.” That idea was shattered when he realized that there was no way to go back.
After two years of living in China, Andrew decided to go to Thailand. It took him a week to get to Bangkok on foot and by bus. His plan was to make documents there to be able to live in South Korea. It wasn’t easy as he was a political refugee, but he still managed to make them. To his surprise, he was offered several destinations where he could go and America was one of them.
“When I heard I can go to the United States, I felt that that’s the place I want to go. I chose America because I want to study to have a brighter future.” says Andrew.
He continues, “In Thailand something kindled the spark in me that I want to study and change my life.” Andrew was happy but at the same time he was anxious to go to America since he did not know English and did not have relatives here. He had just begun to socialize with the world around him.
Living in North Korea, elementary school was the highest level of education he attained, and he did not know much at all about the outside world. Andrew read a lot of books at the Immigration Center to learn more about America’s culture. Even though he couldn’t, he wished he could take all those books with him.
In America, Andrew moved from Los Angeles to Utah and then to Chicago. He found Emancipate North Koreans (ENoK), a non-profit organization that helps North Korean refugees settle into their life in a new society. ENoK also helps them pursue an education here in the U.S.
Last November, Andrew met former President George W. Bush at a conference along with a group of North Korean students. He is grateful for what America offers to him and the empathy Mr. Bush has towards them. “Mr. Bush wants to help Korean students with scholarships so they can pursue their education,” says Andrew.
Andrew embarked on an adventure that changed his life completely and lead him to a successful path. The only sad aspect that remains is his family. Seven years have passed without hearing from his family. He still cannot go back to North Korea because the government will check his background. Andrew has no idea how his family is coping with life. With a bitter voice and teary eyes he says, “I think my mother is either searching for me or thinks I’m dead.” Andrew hopes to see his family again one day. In the meantime, he is focusing on his future.
Today, Andrew feels grateful and fulfilled. “I am happy to be here at Wright. Wright has great teachers. They know not only how to teach you, but they help you.” says Andrew.
“I was homeless and now I’m a college student.” He is thankful to Professor Adrian Guiu who helped him toward the path of his career. Andrew likes Philosophy but plans to major in Biochemistry. His goal is to transfer to a four-year university into Pharmacy. He also wants to learn about politics to help Korean people improve their lives by getting involved in organizations like ENOK.
Andrew’s amazing story is truly inspiring and shows incredible courage and human persistence. It also shows how unique the background of each of us is and how wonderful this world can be knowing beautiful people through diversity.