You mentioned being separated from your family for many years. How did this affect your relationships with them and how did it affect you as a person?

When I realized that I wouldn't be able to see my family again, I was devastated. I cried every night looking up at the moon, wondering if my mom was looking at the same time.

I hope everyone learns to appreciate their time with their family members and friends. Don't take this time for granted. It was hard to see my family members when we were finally reunited because they looked so different. We were also in a very desperate situation, trying to escape safely to South Korea, so we didn't even have that much time to catch up in the beginning. It’s been a long process of getting to know each other again, but I'm so happy that we have this opportunity and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

There is a lot of discussion about censorship in North Korea – censorship of people’s words, people’s thoughts, people’s opinions. Even though you have left North Korea now, do you feel that there are still other topics which you personally still feel the need to censor?

I'm enjoying the freedom of speech outside North Korea and I'm using it to inform the world about the truth about my country. Censorship is a big problem in many countries, especially North Korea. I don't censor myself about any topic, although I have to protect my relatives identities back in North Korea, so I don't talk about them publicly.

You’ve been quoted as saying, “When I was young, I thought my country was the best on the planet." Some people believe than human beings are born with an innate conscience – something in your spirit that tells you if something is right or wrong. What changed your opinion of your home country?

Throughout most of my time in North Korea, I didn't think about the outside world or consider that my leaders were lying to me. I believed everything I was taught. But I was one of the lucky ones because I grew up on the border of China, so I could compare my country to the outside world.

I noticed that China was a lot more developed and had flashing lights and neon signs, which was a stark comparison to my dark and undeveloped homeland. I began to further question the North Korean regime’s propaganda that we are the best in the world, because we had a famine and people were starving to death. I was also able to secretly watch Chinese TV channels in my secret little world hidden by the blankets on my windows late at night so the authorities couldn't see me watching TV. I was fascinated by the bright, interesting programs and even the advertisements. Finally, I became so interested and curious about the outside world that I decided to explore for myself, and it changed my life forever.

Sometimes you read about people who have been kept in captivity for many years. After they are set free, they sometimes strangely miss aspects of their life in captivity. Is there anything that you miss about your life in North Korea?

I hate the North Korean regime and the oppressive system, but I love my country and the people. I miss my friends and relatives so much that I literally dream about returning. I really hope that one day North Korea can change and then I can return to my hometown to see all the loved ones I had to leave behind. I also want people in the international community to see that North Koreans are good people who are just trying to survive in a horrible system.