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I Escaped North Korea. Here’s My Message for President Trump.

Yeonmi Park fled North Korea when she was 13. She is now fighting for the millions of other North Koreans still living under the oppressive regime of Kim Jong-un.

Leah Varjacques and

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I Escaped North Korea. Here’s My Message for President Trump.

Yeonmi Park and her family suffered tragically under the North Korean regime. Now she’s urging the United States to pressure Kim Jong-un to end the holocaust against his own people.

When I saw the president of South Korea hugging Kim Jong-un I asked myself: Would he do the same with Hitler? Now the world is cheering Trump. “I gave the president of the United States a standing ovation...” for engaging with one of the most For engaging with one of the most brutal dictators ever. The future of peace and security for the world, for the whole world. This regime has the worst human rights record on earth. This man runs concentration camps, deliberately starves people for control, and assassinates members of his own family. I escaped North Korea When I was 13 years old. Up until then, my life was a torture. I survived the famine that killed two to three million people. I ate dragonflies to survive. I passed starved bodies on the way to school. My father [was] deported to prison camp for more than 10 years. His crime? Informal trading to find food for our family. Ever since I spoke out against the dictators my relatives disappeared. President Trump, you are sitting down with this dictator without asking for any concessions. Kim is clever. He is using this moment to sanitize his global image. and prove how supreme he is at home. I’ve seen this show before. When I was seven years old. The supreme leader, my god, met with the South Korean president. And guess what happened after that? Nothing changed. Kim Jong-il got richer and Kim Dae-jung won the Nobel Peace Prize. So President Trump: While you have Kim Jong-un’s attention, use it to free North Koreans. The nukes can be removed. What can be more urgent than human life? We have to free these prisoners first. As a leader of the free world, you must hold the worst dictator on earth accountable. To the American public: You have the power to tell your president he needs to fight for human rights in North Korea. Use it.

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Yeonmi Park and her family suffered tragically under the North Korean regime. Now she’s urging the United States to pressure Kim Jong-un to end the holocaust against his own people.CreditCredit...Luisa Conlon

In this video op-ed, a North Korean defector, Yeonmi Park, urges the United States to put pressure on Kim Jong-un to end his human rights abuses. She tells President Trump that now is not the time for photo opportunities, but rather strong actions. Millions of North Koreans are suffering under the Kim regime and Mr. Trump must do something to help them, she says.

Ms. Park recently published her memoir, “In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom.” She is on the board of directors of the Human Rights Foundation.

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