SORRY ABOUT THE ADS. TURNS OUT "TED" ISN'T REALLY ABOUT IDEAS WORTH SPREADING, BUT ACTUALLY ABOUT MAKING MONEY. ANYHOW, ENJOY. As a child growing up in North Korea, Lee Hyeon-seo thought her country was the "best on the planet." It wasn't until the famine of the 90s that she began to wonder. She escaped the country at 17-years-old to begin a life in hiding as a refugee in China. Hers is a harrowing, personal tale of survival and hope — and a powerful reminder of those who face constant danger, even when the border is far behind. Lee Hyeon-seo grew up in North Korea but escaped to China in 1997. In 2008, when she was 28-years-old, she came to Seoul, South Korea, where she struggled to adjust to life in the bustling city. North Korean defectors often have a hard time in South Korea, she noted in the Wall Street Journal: "We defectors have to start from scratch. Prejudice against North Koreans and icy stares were other obstacles that were hard to cope with." Now a student at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, she has become an advocate for fellow refugees, even helping close relatives leave North Korea after they were targeted. Her dream? As she told the Korea Times, she'd like to work at the UN or an NGO that advocates for the human rights of North Koreans, including their right to be treated as political refugees. www.ted.com/speakers/hyeonseo_lee The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story by Lee Hyeon-seo www.amazon.com/Girl-Seven-Names-Korean-Defectors-ebook/dp/B00JD3ZL9U/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1473022915&sr=8-1 Lee Hyeon-seo Official Website www.hyeonseo-lee.com/eng/default.shtml

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