Volunteer Testimonial
However, the major South Korean news outlets she grew up listening to mostly gave one-dimensional information about occasional military threats from North Korea. It was only after moving to Hong Kong in her teen years that she was able to see the Korean Peninsula from a new perspective. Annie found a new appreciation for the precarious situation of the Korean ceasefire agreement and the constant human rights abuses going on in North Korea. As someone who believes deeply in the profound power of literature, Annie wanted to help convey the individual stories of ordinary North Koreans to the world. In 2023, she joined Daily NK and UMG as a summer intern through a university-supported internship program. Through her work translating Daily NK articles, Annie found surprising similarities and differences between North Korea and other places she had lived. Just like all parents, North Korean parents worry about their children’s school work, but they also have to pay bribes to the teachers and supply classroom materials like firewood for the school to function. Just like all teenagers, North Korean teens love watching the newest dramas and listening to the newest songs, but they constantly have to worry about being discovered by the authorities. Annie’s experience at Daily NK reaffirmed her belief in the power of stories to drive change and the need for the outside world to continue to pay close attention to the lives of ordinary people inside North Korea. While her internship is now over, she finds working as a translation volunteer to be extremely rewarding and hopes others will find it meaningful too.
