About the Speaker
Grace
Jo
North Korean defector and vice president of North Korean Refugees in the USA (NKinUSA)
Grace Jo is a North Korean defector, activist, and vice president of North Korean Refugees in the USA (NKinUSA), a nonprofit aiding North Korean refugees in the United States and China. Jo was born in North Korea, where she witnessed her father and two of her brothers die of starvation. She was twice repatriated to North Korea by the Chinese government and imprisoned upon her return. In 2006, Jo and her two remaining family members fled to China with the help of a pastor. Two years later, the UN refugee agency rescued Jo and her family, enabling them to enter the United States as refugees.