I was born to a Chinese father and North Korean mother.

我的父親是中國人，母親是北韓人

But when I was five, my father abandoned us

但在我五歲時，我的父親拋棄了我們

and left to China and never returned.

回到中國，從此沒再回來

I lost my mother six years later from starvation.

六年後，因著饑餓我失去了我的母親

So I ended up living with my aunt

所以我最後變成和我阿姨一起住

until my father sent my step-brother to take me to China.

直到我的父親派我同父異母的兄弟帶我到中國

So I ended up in my father's place in China in 2008.

所以我在 2008 年變成和我父親住在中國

Life in China was so much better.

在中國的生活好太多了

I was so happy because I was living my life in freedom.

我非常開心，因為我的生活自由了

But the happiness that I felt in China was only temporary

但我在中國感受到的快樂只是暫時的

because Chinese government didn't recognize

因為中國政府並不把

North Koreans as refugees

北韓人視為難民

and they deported back us to North Korea.

他們把我們遣送回北韓

The North Korean government wanted me to confess

北韓政府想要我供認

that I was trying to defect to South Korea,

我是試圖叛逃到南韓

but the truth was I went to China to find my father.

但事實是我到中國找我父親

I had no desire to defect and begged them to understand.

我沒有叛逃的意思，我懇請他們諒解

I didn't confess, and after being for weeks,

我沒有認罪，過了幾週

they sent me to labor camp.

他們把我送到勞改營

I was only 15.

我那時才 15 歲

In the labor camp, I was only allowed to eat

在勞改營，我每天只被允許吃

150 kernels of corn a day.

150 顆的玉米

One morning, we were marching in our rows to our work site,

一天早上，我們在隊伍行進到工作地點途中

and I saw a dry vomit on the road.

我看到路旁有乾掉的嘔吐物

I was so hungry that I got on my hands and knees

我太飢餓了，於是我四肢跪下

and began picking the rice out of the vomited rice.

開始從嘔吐的飯中撿拾米粒

I didn't stop eating the vomited rice

是看守員打我打得我再也忍受不了了

until the beating from the guards were too unbearable.

我才不再繼續吃嘔吐的飯

Eight months later, I was finally released

八個月後，我終於被釋放了

because I couldn't even stand up or even lift my arm.

因為我甚至無法站起來或舉起我的手

After spending months trying to regain my strength,

過了幾個月，試著重拾我的體力後

I needed to find a job.

我必須找個工作

I began working in a coal mine

我開始在一個煤礦工作

where I was paid only in rice.

唯一的報酬是米

Cave-ins were common, and I saw other boys

土地陷落是常有的，有一次我看到其他男孩

lose their arms and legs or else they were smashed

失去了他們的手臂和腿，或是被石塊

into the rocks.

粉碎

And I watched my friend die

當裝煤的貨車摔落，砸到我的朋友時

when the coal cart fell off the track and crushed him.

我看著他死去

I worked in the mine about a year

我在礦坑裡工作了大約一年

and I realized it was my time

然後我知道我是時候

to try to escape North Korea again.

再次嘗試逃到南韓了

I knew how hard escaping North Korea would be

我知道沒有任何錢和食物，要逃離北韓

without any money or food.

會有多麼困難

And I knew that if I was caught, I will be killed.

並且我知道，要是我被抓到，我會被殺掉

But those risks overweighted working in the dark coal mine

但是相較日復一日在黑暗的煤礦中工作

every day until it was my turn to lose a limb or die.

直到某一天輪到我失去一隻肢體或是死去，其中的風險更大

One morning, instead of entering the mine,

一天早上，我並沒有進到礦坑裡

I walked up the path and began running.

而是走上小徑開始奔跑

I spent the next three months hiding from the police

接下來三個月我都在躲避警察

and waiting for an opportunity

等待機會

to travel to the border town.

遊走到邊境城

On a humid day in August, I was lying down on a hillside,

在八月一個潮濕的日子，我正躺在一座山坡上

and in the distance, I saw a train come to stop

然後看到遠方有一輛火車靠近

and I realized the train was going to the border town,

我意識到那輛火車正要前往邊境城

and as the passengers boarded again, I joined the line.

當乘客開始上車時，我加入了隊伍

And the guard would ask for my papers and documents

看守要求要看我的紙本文件

and I lied that my mother had them

我撒謊說那些資料在我母親手上

and that she was already on the train.

她已經在車上了

He nodded and I headed

他點頭，於是我

straight for the train bathroom to hide.

進到火車裡直直走向廁所，躲在裡面

I spent the next two days hiding from the police.

接下來兩天我都在躲避警察

I was almost at the border town

在我就要抵達邊境城時

when the hands of a guard grabbed the back of my neck

一個看守一手抓住我的頸背

and dragged me to a holding cell on the train.

將我拖到火車上的拘留室

I thought about how terrible the labor camp had been,

我想起在勞改營中日子有多恐怖

the long days of manual labor,

漫漫長日的人力勞動

sleepless nights that spent memorizing the rules,

無數個不眠的夜拿去背誦規條

and the constant feelings of hunger.

以及永遠存在的飢餓感

I refused to let that happen again.

我拒絕再次經歷那一切

Once the train began to slow down for the next stop,

一旦火車開始放慢進站時

I saw a window was unlocked so I pushed it open

我看到一扇窗戶沒鎖，所以我把它推開

and squeezed out of the small opening.

然後躋身從這個小開口出去

I jumped off the moving train and rolled into a ditch

我跳下移動中的火車，滾進一個溝渠裡

and began sprinting for some nearby trees.

然後開始拔腿衝刺到附近的樹叢

I ran for hours, illegally boarded a second train,

我跑了幾小時，再次非法上了第二臺火車

and two days later, I finally made it to the border town.

然後兩天後，我終於抵達邊境城

I walked into the river that divides North Korea and China

我走進區隔北韓和中國的河中

and I hid in the tall grass for eight hours

然後我在高草叢中躲了八小時

waiting for the darkness.

等待黑夜到來

When I finally thought it was safe,

當我終於覺得安全了

I quietly waded into the water.

我安靜地涉足進水中

In the middle of the river, I slipped on a rock

在河中央，我踩到一塊石頭滑倒

and let out a scream.

叫出了一聲

Immediately, a floodlight was on my back

很快地，一道燈光打在我背上

and I heard a guard screaming at me.

然後我聽見一個警衛對著我大叫

He said that he would shoot me if I didn't turn back.

他說我再不轉身他就要開槍了

I knew that I was dead either way.

我知道不論怎樣都是死路一條

Either he would shoot me or I would obey

要嘛他會射殺我，或是我服從

and return to shore, only to be shipped off to labor camp.

轉身回岸邊，最後只會被送回勞改營

I decided not to turn back.

我決定不回頭

Each step took me further away from North Korea

每一步都帶我離北韓更遠

and closer to my dream of freedom.

更靠近我夢想的自由

And five minutes later, I was dripping wet,

然後五分鐘後，我全身濕透了

but finally back in China.

但終於回到了中國

I walked in China for three days

我在中國境內走了三天

until somebody found me collapsed in the middle of a road.

直到某人發現我昏倒在路中央

I was hungry and I was dehydrated and I was exhausted.

我又餓又渴又累

When the man that found me

當那個發現我的男人

realized that I was from North Korea,

得知我來自北韓時

he helped me to make a contact with the people

他幫助我聯絡那些

who helped me to come to Southeast Asia

協助我來到東南亞的人

where I was processed to come to the United States.

在東南亞我才又被送來美國

I remember looking out the window

我記得當飛機開始在加州降落時

once the plane began to land in California.

我看向窗外

I've never dreamed of being on a plane

我從沒夢想過會搭上飛機

or even coming to America.

或甚至來到美國

And as I step off the plane, I felt this strange feeling

而當我踏出飛機，我感到一陣

that I've never known before.

我從沒有過的、奇異的感覺

Safety.

安全感

I was finally safe and I didn't need to hide anymore.

我終於安全，不再需要躲躲藏藏了

And I came to America five years ago,

我在五年前來到美國

and in that time, I have learned English,

在這期間我學了英文

graduate from high school, worked as a sushi chef.

從高中畢業，在壽司餐廳當師傅

My life in America has not been easy,

我在美國的生活並不輕鬆

but this is land of opportunity,

但這是充滿機會的土地

and I know that if I work hard, I can achieve my dreams.

我知道只要我工作努力，我就能達成我的夢想

And today, I stand here as the exception.

而在今天，我作為一個特例站在這裡

For every story about a North Korean like mine,

為了每一個像我一樣的北韓人案例

thousands of others end in tragedy.

別的好幾千例最終以悲劇收場

And sometimes, I wonder why it was me.

有的時候，我會想為什麼是我

Why was I the one that survived in the labor camp

為什麼我是那個自勞改營中存活的人

and my cellmates starved to death?

而我的牢友卻飢餓致死？

And why did the coal cart fall off

還有為什麼那輛煤車是摔在

the other side of the rails,

鐵軌的另一邊

crushing my friend instead of me?

砸到了我的朋友，而不是我？

And why did I get a chance to jump off the train

以及為什麼我有機會跳下火車

and those two other boys didn't?

其他兩個男孩卻沒有？

I struggled with this questions for a long time.

我在這些問題上糾結了很久

And the small gift that I can give

而我能給與那些今天不在現場的人們的一份小禮物

to those that are not here today is to share my story.

就是分享我的故事

Thank you.

謝謝