Hyeonseo Lee

Hyeonseo Lee

North Korean defector and author

Hyeonseo Lee is a student, activist, and North Korean defector. Lee escaped to China in 1997, where she lived for more than 10 years before defecting to South Korea. She returned to North Korea to help her family escape, miraculously guiding them through China to southeast Asia. Despite being captured and detained in Laos, they finally made it to South Korea. Lee is also the author of the bestselling book “The Girl with Seven Names.” In 2013, she gave a TedTalk titled “My Escape from North Korea” which garnered over 25 million views. Lee continues to travel around the world to raise awareness and advocate for North Korean human rights.

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