Hyeonseo Lee

A young teen, only age seventeen in a foreign country, hears from her mother over the phone six shocking words: “‘Don’t come back. We’re in trouble’” (Lee and John 110). She is forced to stay in China for about ten years without her close family and uses her struggles in life to become a living hero. Hyeonseo Lee’s story starts when she was born in North Korea in 1981 (“Lee Hyeonseo”). She grew up believing she was fortunate to live in the best country on Earth and was proud. Lee learned to respect her government while following society's path. She was not taught a lot about other countries other than that America, Japan, and South Korea were enemies (Lee). As she grew older, Lee began noticing things around her that did not seem right in society, such as hunger and public executions (Leavenworth). She started to become skeptical about life outside of her country. She pondered about the outside world and escaped to China on her own by crossing the life-threatening Yalu River. Lee always planned to go back and live her whole life in North Korea but from that moment on, her life took a different route. It was then, that Lee received the call from her mother. She was forced to stay in China for around a decade, hide her identity and face social prejudice when later fleeing to South Korea. After Lee heard her family in North Korea was in trouble because of her, she decided to partake on a grueling, dangerous journey to guide them out of North Korea. She succeeded after a long struggle and became an activist for other North Koreans (“Lee Hyeonseo”). Throughout her journey, Lee continued to persevere to get herself to where she is today. A hero must possess the will to never give up and bravery, to show that they are willing to keep fighting for their cause no matter what and that they have the bravery to stand up for it. Lee demonstrates these characteristics more than what could ever be expected of a single person. The life and experiences of Hyeonseo Lee make her a hero because of her resilience and courage which led her to standing up for the rights of others

www.commons.wikimedia.orgSteve Jurvetson from Menlo Park, USA [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]Lee was driven to succeed as tough obstacles landed in her path and made life hard to live without her mom and brother. She recalls her emotions each year after the separation from her family when she says in her autobiography, “On each anniversary of that date a valve in my heart would open and flood me with sadness. But as the fourth anniversary approached [...] I had hope for the first time. Four years of frugal living meant that I had saved enough to pay a broker to find my family in Hyesan” (Lee and John 144). This quote shows how Lee, in complete despair, decided not to dread on her circumstance but instead take action. She was driven to get her family back and made her dreams happen. If Lee had lost hope to bring her family to freedom or if she had not had the resilience to continue to persevere, she would not have gotten herself and family to where they are today. Pushing through her struggles with resilience makes her an extraordinary role model and hero. Six years after continuing to try to create a new life for herself, Lee escaped China but was not accepted for herself in South Korea and “had to face initial scrutiny by the security service and prejudice from the public” (“Lee Hyeonseo”). Another hardship was tearing Lee down, but she did not give up. She felt out of place in South Korea and alone. Lee was in a new country, to her a new world. She did not know anyone and it was hard for people to accept her. She had to adapt to this new place and did the best she could, strong-willed. Lee’s determination allowed her to get through that time in her life, even though it seemed so desperate.  She accepted that her life was turned upside down, and was determined to get through it on her own, which shows how persistent Lee was. Time after time, situations in Lee’s life could have made her crumble to pieces, but the strength she had was bigger than her setbacks. This proves Lee to be a deserving hero as she inspired people around the world with her resilience, determination, and perseverance to overcome her struggles.

Along with resilience, Lee had the courage to defy immense hardships. One example of this is when Lee was interrogated by the police in China. This put her at risk of deportation back to North Korea, imprisonment, torture, or public execution (Lee). Looking back on this moment, Lee remembers, “I was so scared. I thought my heart was going to explode... I thought my life was over. But I managed to control all the emotions inside me, and answer the questions.” (Lee). This moment was about life or death for Lee. The words “I thought my heart was going to explode” convey the terror and pressure Lee felt to act as a citizen of South Korea. She held herself together in that situation which showed that she had courage. By putting her fear aside and answering the questions calmly, she got the officials to believe that she was South Korean and was safe (Lee). This experience just made Lee stronger. She was also in danger while bringing her family on the difficult journey through China and remembers thinking, “If we succeed, we could go to a free country, like South Korea. If we fail, we could end up in political prisoner camp, or worst scenario, killed in public execution,” (qtd. by Leavenworth). As Lee aspired to guide her family to freedom, she was risking so much. She was risking her life and her losing her family for good, but she did not let that fear stop her. Courage is not about being fearless, but having fear and accomplishing a goal anyway. If Lee had not stood up for her family, their lives would not be the same today. She was courageous by not backing down and continuing to do everything she could to get her family to safety. She took on the world, faced life or death situations, and risked everything she had. Lee got herself and family through horrible situations and did this with huge bravery.

Hyeonseo Lee has proven with her story and the work she does now that she has courage and resilience. This makes her a hero because she is using her qualities and story to stand up for the rights of others, as well as inspire people to believe in themselves. She has come a long way from being the young teen on the phone, hearing from her mother that she could not return home. Lee did not let a single challenge get in her way. She overcame what life threw at her and used her challenges for the better by reaching out to others. Not only is Lee an inspiration to people all over the world, but she is an inspiration to me. She inspires me to be resilient through hard times and to have the courage to overcome anything that comes my way. Lee wrote in her autobiography, The Girl With Seven Names, “This is my story. I hope that it will allow a glimpse of the world I escaped. I hope it will encourage others like myself, who are struggling to cope with new lives their imaginations never prepared them for. I hope that the world will begin, finally, to listen to them, and to act” (Lee and John XIII). Lee hopes to encourage people to have fearlessness and strength like her, and she has done just that. Lee’s story influences me to be brave and stand up for what I believe in. She has taught me that one person can make a difference in the world. It does not have to be someone with superhuman qualities. Heros in our world today are people all around us. What makes them special is that they have chosen to do something right for the good of others. A true hero, Hyeonseo Lee possesses the courage and resilience to do what is right no matter the consequences.

Works Cited

Leavenworth, Stuart. "A N. Korean's defection, complicated by her love-hate bonds with China." Christian Science Monitor, 12 Apr. 2016. Student   

            Resources In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A449301671/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=55d145dc. Accessed 25 Apr.    

            2019.

Lee, Hyeonseo, and David John. The Girl with Seven Names: Escape from North Korea. William Collins, 2016. Print.

"Lee Hyeonseo." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2016. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1000319232/BIC?

            u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=8d06c417. Accessed 26 Apr. 2019.

Lee, Hyeonseo. “My Escape from North Korea.” TED, Feb. 2013, www.ted.com/talks/hyeonseo_lee_my_escape_from_north_korea?language=en. 

            Accessed 3 May 2019.

Sorensen, Chris. "A worm's-eye view of the Hermit Kingdom." Maclean's, 20 July 2015, p. 56. Biography In Context, 

            https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A422447282/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=3efc0663. Accessed 25 Apr. 2019.