Escape From North Korea By Yeonmi Park (Essay Example)

Yeonmi’s mother “was even more convinced that she couldn't let her daughters grow up in such a place. We had to get out as soon as possible” (Park 113). Yeonmi Park is a young girl living in Hyesan, North Korea, which is a small city bordering China. At a young age, Yeonmi is brainwashed into thinking North Korea is the best country on Earth. However, the Park family eventually discovers that the regime has been secretly killing, torturing, raping, and abusing the North Korean people. Therefore, the Park family decides it's finally time to escape to China. In the book In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park, Yeonmi is influenced by the abuse of the regime, the death of her father, and her lost sister Eunmi to stay motivated throughout her journey.

Like many others, Yeonmi was influenced by the abuse from the regime to escape North Korea. Yeonmi’s family was so mistreated by the government that “they were afraid they might not wake up, and then their children would starve to death” (Park 104). The regime controlled nearly every aspect of Yeonmi’s life. She was so oppressed that receiving food and water was nearly impossible. Since conditions in North Korea became so unbearable, Yeonmi’s dream of escaping to freedom became stronger. Yeonmi tried so hard to believe that North Korea was a good country. However, when she saw that the hospitals only used one needle and didn't clean their equipment, she knew something was not right. When she went to the hospital for an intestinal infection, she saw how inhumanely other North Koreans were treated because the government wouldn't support the hospital. Her motivation to leave North Korea was strengthened when she experienced the neglected hospital and its people. Due to the abuse from the regime, Yeonmi’s dream of leaving North Korea became a reality.

Another important influence along her journey was her father, who motivated her to escape China. A few moments before Yeonmi’s father died, she made a promise to him. “Now I had to be true to the promise I’d made my father, to keep her safe and find Eunmi. That meant getting us to South Korea” (Park 186). Yeonmi made a promise to her father to find freedom and to find Eunmi. After he dies, Yeonmi felt like she needed to keep this promise. Consequently, she began her escape to freedom. Following the death of her father, Yeonmi notices that his eyes are still open. She believes he “was still searching for Eunmi and that was why he could not rest” (Park 167). Yeonmi thought her father’s eyes were still open because he hadn't found Eunmi yet. Therefore, Yeonmi wants to find Eunmi so her father can finally be at rest. The death of her father encouraged her to leave China in search of Eunmi, which shifted her main focus.

Once Yeonmi arrived in South Korea, she was finally free. But one thing was holding her back: Eunmi. After settling in South Korea, Yeonmi is thriving and keeping her motivated is the hope to find Eunmi. “I might have been able to keep up this make-believe life if I could have let go of my quest to find Eunmi. But that was not possible” (Park 241). Yeonmi is not ready to let go of her quest to find Eunmi. She is certain that her lost sister is still alive and trying to find freedom. Hope that Eunmi is still out there gives Yeonmi motivation to better herself in South Korea. Ready to do anything to find her lost sister, Yeonmi decides to broadcast her story to millions, hoping Eunmi would hear. Risking Yeonmi’s reputation was worth it if it meant finding her sister. Bettering herself in South Korea was hard, but the hope that Eunmi would see Yeonmi’s story kept her motivated.

Throughout the biography In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park, various motivators supported Yeonmi’s successful escape. However, the abuse from the regime, the death of her father, and her lost sister Eunmi, contribute the most to her strong ambition. One thing is for certain, the tragic, near death experiences Yeonmi had to endure ended up saving her life and inspiring many others.