Yeonmi Park, North Korean Defector and Author

Growing up in Hyesan, North Korea, Yeonmi Park endured unimaginable hardships, from witnessing public executions to enduring starvation so severe she ate wild plants to survive. Her awakening began after watching a pirated copy of Titanic, which showed her a glimpse of a freer world. After her father's imprisonment for "illegal trading" in 2002, Park and her mother escaped to China in 2007, only to fall victim to human traffickers. In 2009, they crossed the Gobi Desert in -40-degree weather to reach Mongolia and ultimately gained freedom in South Korea. Park's harrowing story is detailed in her memoir, In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom.

Park's advocacy work is deeply connected to the University of Virginia through Otto Warmbier, a UVA student who died after being imprisoned by the North Korean regime. She honors his memory in her tireless efforts to expose North Korea's atrocities and champion freedom and human rights.

A BBC "Top 100 Global Woman," Park is also the author of While Time Remains: A North Korean Defector's Search for Freedom in America, published in 2023, cementing her role as a leading voice for the oppressed worldwide.