By: Suchita Thepkanjana
Photo by: LSESU Think Tank society
On 6 February at 6pm in the Centre Building, two-time North Korean defector Timothy Cho spoke about his life, his escape, and his political activism at the LSESU Think Tank event entitled ‘From Oppression to Advocacy: Timothy Cho’s Story’.
The event started with an introduction of Cho by an LSESU Think Tank representative, who highlighted Cho’s position as the Secretariat to the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea and his multiple speeches at the UN Human Rights Council.
Cho began his speech with a satellite photo of the Korean peninsula, depicting North Korea as almost completely dark. He declared, “I’m not telling you political theory today—it’s only my life…and what I saw.”
Cho described his experiences growing up in North Korea, which he calls a “Hermit Kingdom”. He likened North Korea to The Hunger Games, separated into districts with supervisors responsible for surveilling civilians. He recalled bowing to portraits of the Kim family every morning, having “self-criticism sessions” starting in primary school, and watching public executions from the front row.
When he was nine years old, his parents escaped North Korea, leaving him orphaned and branded as a member of the “traitor class”. Because of this, Cho was rejected from schooling, jobs, and even the military, which eventually drove him to escape the country himself.
He explained, “This country, that I believed was the best in the world, now abandoned me.”
Cho described his two attempts at escaping North Korea. The first time, he was arrested by the Chinese military and deported back to North Korea, where he was imprisoned and interrogated, before being released into his grandparents’ custody. He decided to escape once again and ended up imprisoned in Shanghai.
He was sent to the Philippines as part of an international movement to free him and other North Korean defectors. Finally, Cho arrived in the UK, where he gradually learned English from lessons and volunteering in a soup kitchen.
Cho ended by reflecting on all the people who looked after him on his journey out of North Korea, including fellow orphaned children, the prison inmates, and his grandmother who helped him escape.
“Sometimes the survivor’s guilt is really, really haunting … from time to time, I still see them in my dreams,” he explained. “It’s the acts of love and acts of humanity that gave me hope. It’s the hope from when we rely on each other in the darkest moments.”
Cho concluded the event by reiterating the importance of humanity and empathy. He urged the audience to “remember your responsibility and use the gift in your heart.”
“In the world, there is a lack of love,” he said. “But it’s not nuclear weapons that control the world — it’s heart.”
