Interviews with Kang Chol-hwan

I think that the definition of freedom can differ according to each person. Because I used to live in a country where freedom was oppressed upon and not respected.

For me, freedom refers to the basic human right to be able to express your thoughts and engage in actions without the oppression or suppression coming from the political system.

If you were talking to someone that was already living in a country that respects freedom, perhaps they would have a different definition. But for me, freedom means that kind of basic human right.

President [Franklin D.] Roosevelt talked about the four basic human rights such as freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom to be free from starvation and fear. [In his 1941 State of the Union address, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt discussed the “Four Freedoms” that all people should enjoy: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.]

I think that these kinds of basic rights constitute freedom.

Because I am a Christian, I think that freedom is a basic human right that has been given by God.

Freedom can refer to the right to choose the religion that you want without any oppression coming from the powerful.

Freedom also refers to being able to enjoy basic, universal, and economic rights instead of having to live for the interest of a particular individual or a particular group.

Kang Chol-Hwan escaped from North Korea in 1992 and has dedicated his life to bringing attention to the horrifying conditions in North Korea.

When Kang was 9 years old, the North Korean government accused his grandfather of treason and sent the family to one of its most notorious concentration camps, Yodok. Kang lived in the camp for 10 years, surviving on meager corn rations along with rats and earthworms. He and his family were forced to work in fields and mines and to witness public executions of their fellow prisoners.

Following his release from the camp, Kang bought an illegal radio receiver and began listening secretly to broadcasts from South Korea. These broadcasts allowed Kang to understand the differences between totalitarian societies, like North Korea, and free societies. Kang and a friend escaped North Korea by sneaking across the border to China and went from there to South Korea, where he lives today.

Kang described his experiences in his powerful memoir, “The Aquariums of Pyongyang.” President Bush welcomed Kang to the White House in 2005 .