[imText1]Last March, Citizens’ Coalition for Human Rights of Abductees and North Korean Refugees (CHNK) received a letter. It was a letter requesting for rescue written by a North Korean defector.
The writer letter is Ms. Park, who attempted defection to South Korea through Mongolia in December 2003, but got arrested by the Chinese police and repatriated to North Korea. He was released by many injuries on his body from torture. He attempted defection again and arrived in China, but had to have both of his legs amputated.
With the contribution by the CHNK. The DailyNK releases the letter in full text to the readers. Ms. Park is currently making a stay in Thailand, waiting to come to South Korea.
Following is the letter in full text.
I want to go to South Korea!
Dear Respected Misters! How do you do?
I am Park **, a defector from ** City of South Hamkyung province.
I defected to China and lived Jangchun (China) with my son, but having been treated like pebbles on the streets, I realized where I must go is South Korea, where my freedom and human rights will are secured. To realized my dream, I left for Manzhouli(a name of a place, China) but instead of paradise, I was taken to North Korea, arrested by Chinese police and forcefully repatriate, and I returned to China handicapped.
December 12, 2003, everyone was excited for the coming Christmas, and I, with faith in God that I will be able to make it to South Korea, left alone leaving my son in Changchun with the help of the cook of the restaurant I was working for. Once I made up my mind to defect, there was nothing I was afraid of. However, I was arrested on December 20 in Nei Monggol by Chinese police, and was sent back to North Korea. First I was sent to Jipkyulso in Chungjin City, then to Forced Labor Concentration Camp located in Shinpo City in South Hamkyung province. I cannot write down all the sufferings I have experienced in my homeland with few words or in few pages.
When I first arrived in North Korea, my feet were not that bad, they were only a little swollen. However, in the cold prison cell of Onsung Security Department the next January, they pierced my feet with oxidized metal, and I was beat up and kicked with boots that my eyes bled.
I was beat up like that everyday, and my feed were chained that feet were metal poisoned and became more swollen. From the parts where they were pieced came out blood and puss, and started to rot.
I suffered of pain and cried every night, and they hit my feel even more saying that my feet should rot up to my knees so I will never attempt to defect to South Korea again. In such fearful pain, I promised myself that if I cannot make it to South Korea walking on my feel, then I will make to by my elbow crawling and testify the crimes of the Kim Jong Il regime. That determination kept me alive until today.
Looking at my rotting feet with puss gushing out, I prayed again and again for God to bring an end to the Kim Jong Il, a government as rot as my feet, under which the people die away everyday and where no human dignity could be found.
With time I was bruised all over my body, even the white parts of my eye balls became blue, and I looked like a monster, not a human being. But they still beat me and kicked me and said that they are letting me live.
They were right though. If it were no for my rotten feet, I would not have made out. After a month, they showed me a written page of which they wrote testifying that I have attempted to defect to China and was arrested by the Chinese police.
I was dumbfounded.
Then they released me looking at my feet that have turned black by then, so I can be treated. I looked at my feet, which gave me so much pain, and was happy because they let me live.
Misters!
Does this make sense anywhere in the world? Is this what a normal person can imagine? The screams and moans that came out of my mouth for pain… I do not even want to remember ever again. My feet that gave me so much pain are gone now so I no longer can stand.
That scream and moaning were not only mine but were of out parents and bothers, and also of that Kim Jong Il regime that is so rot that it can no longer stand alone.
After that, with the least treatment I could get, pain was reduced. Despite my parents’ and sister’s tears, I left them with canes, I fell on ground because of hunger and I crawled because I could not longer walk, but I made it do China. My son and my friends cried when they saw me, but I did not cry because I escaped from the hell and will find a way to South Korea
However, now, seven months here, it seems like my dream to go to South Korea is so far in distance. Instead, I suffer of threat of arrest by Chinese police everyday, and the fear drives me nearly crazy.
As if it were my business, I look at the clothes everyday and search for the land I want to be in, but it makes more suffer even more that I cannot even imagine the place.
Respected misters! Help me. Make my wish to go to that place come true. I ask you with all and all my heart. Please pray for me so the fair God will forgive all my sins and guide me to South Korea.
I will wait for your reply with hope.
March 25, 2005
Written by Park **
