Han Seo-hee, author of "Everyday life in South Korea" / Courtesy of Han Seo-hee

Han Seo-hee, who fled North Korea in October 2006 and settled in South Korea in March 2007, was reluctant at first when her father said they should “leave this country.” Her brother had already fled to South Korea with his girlfriend, whom their parents disapproved of.

“I have secretly watched Korean dramas, but I never imagined myself living in South Korea. It seemed like an impossible escape. I was scared that we might be caught, repatriated to North Korea and publicly executed. But my father said ‘If we stay, we could face harsh punishment. We must leave and believe in 1 percent of hope,’” she said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.

After making a dangerous journey through Mongolia, Han happily reunited with her brother and sister-in-law and she made a new life for herself as a TV personality in the South.

Having graduated from Pyongyang University of Music and Dance and being a former member of the Ministry of People's Security’s art propaganda squad, she gained fame by showing off her singing skills on Channel A’s “Now On My Way to Meet You.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, she launched a YouTube channel and most recently, published a book called “Everyday Life in South Korea.”

Han’s first Korean-language essay published in July centers on her courageous escape from North Korea, real-life experiences of adjusting to life in South Korea including her days at the resettlement center and stories related to language differences.

“Through my book, I want to improve awareness of North Korean human rights issues and promote North Korean defector integration in South Korea,” she said.

Han said the most surprising things she realized after fleeing North Korea are “dictatorship” and “human rights abuses”

“When I was in middle school, I was forced to watch public executions. I didn’t know then that that was a form of child abuse. I didn’t know about dictatorship or human rights abuses because I couldn’t compare North Korea with the outside world,” she said.

The book cover of "Everyday Life in South Korea" / Courtesy of Think Good

Han said the recent rise in high-ranking officials defecting to the South, including the latest case of North Korea’s former No.2 diplomat in Cuba Ri Il-gyu, suggests possible near-term regime collapse.

“Until the early 2000s, most defectors were from the lower class, like farmers, who fled the country because they were starving. From the mid-to-late-2000s, those who were relatively affluent and yearned for freedom started to defect to the South. I think this change suggests that regime collapse is around the corner,” she said.

Though she enjoys living in South Korea, there are some things that she misses about North Korea: train rides and the nature.

“Whenever I visited my hometown in Musan County, North Hamgyong Province, I rode a train that runs very slow. I remember looking out the window on my train ride. The nature was spectacular,” she said.