Lee Hyeon-seo, best known for her book, The Girl with Seven Names, is a North Korean defector and activist who lives in Seoul, South Korea.
13 Facts About Lee Hyeon-seo
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Lee Hyeon-seo escaped from North Korea and later guided her family out of North Korea through China and Laos.
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In 1997, Lee Hyeon-seo crossed the frozen Yalu River alone in collusion with a friendly border guard to fulfill a dream she had, only planning to stay a short while before returning.
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Lee Hyeon-seo managed to buy the identity of a mentally challenged girl from Heilongjiang, and with it, obtained a passport and driver's license.
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Lee Hyeon-seo asked them to call the National Intelligence Service, which three hours later drove her into downtown Seoul.
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Lee Hyeon-seo was put through an orientation course for life in South Korea, and then given a house to live in.
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Lee Hyeon-seo returned to China, met her family in Changbai, as her brother helped her mother over the border into China.
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At the Lao border, Lee Hyeon-seo met a broker and paid him to take her mother and brother across and to the South Korean Embassy in Vientiane.
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Lee Hyeon-seo then traveled to Luang Namtha, Laos, where she paid a bribe and fine.
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In 2011, Lee Hyeon-seo wrote that she was learning English "to boost [her] prospects," noting that North Koreans' "lack of English is a handicap" on the job market.
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Lee Hyeon-seo spoke about her experiences at a TED conference in Long Beach, California, in February 2013.
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Lee Hyeon-seo spoke at the Oslo Freedom Forum in May 2014.
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Lee Hyeon-seo executive produced the documentary Beyond Utopia about South Korean pastor Kim Sungeun, who helps North Koreans defect.