“The moment I escaped to China, I didn't have any money; I only had one address in my hand of some long-distance Chinese relatives. I didn't know China was that big. I thought I can find their home very easily, and I would come back one week later. But then I found out the address was a 10-hour drive away.”

North Korean defector and activist

Lee Hyeon-seo is a North Korean defector and activist based in Seoul, South Korea. She is best known for her book, The Girl with Seven Names. She escaped North Korea and later helped guide her family out of the country through China and Laos. Her public work centers on defection, survival, and the difficult choices faced by people leaving North Korea.