North Korean Defector Yeonmi Park

North Korean defector Yeonmi Park, the young woman featured in Reason.com's article Yeonmi Park’s North Korean Defector Story, is a hero to many, although few people in North Korea will hear about her brave escape. It's doubtful that North Korea's security establishments would allow Yeonmi Park's story to inspire her peers since the media is state-controlled and Internet access is strictly monitored. Dissident writers, who may have reported Park's escape, have no options for publishing their stories.

Unlike defectors from other countries, Park has said that she and her family fled to escape starvation, not to find freedom. They were unaware of the concept of freedom; they had never heard of any other defectors who spoke of life outside North