Yeonmi Park: North Korea | Lex Fridman Podcast  

Here are the timestamps. Please check out our sponsors to support this podcast. <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="0">0:00</a> - Introduction & sponsor mentions: - Belcampo: belcampo.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off first order - Gala Games: gala.games/lex - BetterHelp: betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off - Eight Sleep: www.eightsleep.com/lex and use code LEX to get special savings <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="238">3:58</a> - Growing up in North Korea <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="562">9:22</a> - Animal Farm <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="937">15:37</a> - Search for meaning <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1225">20:25</a> - Love <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1362">22:42</a> - Language <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1626">27:06</a> - Yeonmi's dad <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1747">29:07</a> - Escaping North Korea <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2064">34:24</a> - The world is ignoring the genocide in North Korea <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2786">46:26</a> - Evil <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2957">49:17</a> - Nuclear war <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="3007">50:07</a> - Marxist origins of North Korea <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="3320">55:20</a> - Famine <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="60">1:00</a>:07 - Kim Jong-un is pure evil <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="66">1:06</a>:43 - Freedom <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="69">1:09</a>:55 - Michael Malice <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="73">1:13</a>:35 - Diversity <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="80">1:20</a>:55 - Political correctness <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="90">1:30</a>:27 - Jordan Peterson <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="94">1:34</a>:39 - Michael Malice book on North Korea <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="100">1:40</a>:08 - Advice for young people <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="103">1:43</a>:10 - Facing assassination <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="113">1:53</a>:25 - Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="115">1:55</a>:57 - Meaning of life

Thank you so much, Lex for having me and also everyone’s heartfelt support!

This is one of the most moving conversations I’ve ever heard.

"freedom is not a gateway to happiness, it can make live much more complex, but its so fun, isnt it?" This really struck a cord with me and I'm grateful to be able to hear her story.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1080">18:00</a> Jesus Christ. Lex's question and Yeonmi's response... I'm crying. The fact that if given a choice she wouldn't delete these horrific, painful memories because she is a "witness" and she feels a responsibility to remember and speak on these atrocities....

Lex: “aren’t people inherently good though?” Yeonmi: “I love your optimism” ✌️❤️

Lex surprises me with his willingness to be vulnerable, and it’s so incredibly valuable in a conversation like this. I don’t know if it was his influence, or if Yeonmi has seen the guns pointed at her and has just made up her mind to run directly at the enemy, but this was one of the most powerful conversations I’ve ever heard. She is moving, articulate, and intelligent - a gift. As an American, I am so grateful for her witness and her example of courage in the face of real danger.. I believe that if her voice saves North Korea, it will be because she first saved the United States from this lunacy. I have no gift to bring to the table, but I will remember to pray for you and to teach my children to think. God bless you both.

Man…when she talked about missing her dad, and how she wished for a son so in some way she could view it as taking care of her dad and showing him a better life. So profound…brought tears to my eyes.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="71">1:11</a>:22 "Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free." ~Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“You don’t know oppression” Powerful If every person in the west could try to understand this perspective with empathy. Yes the west has issues, but we have brothers and sisters who are treated as if they are not even fellow humans.

Yeonmi should meet with a director and screenwriter and make a movie about her experience. . .it may be controversial but man .. Yeonmi's journey from NK to the U.S really is a inspirational story.

She is just so strong and amazing. She makes me believe I can live through anything. She’s lived through so much and is still so whole. It’s so inspiring.

This interview was so powerful I could only listen in segments before having to stop, walk away, and breathe. It genuinely hurt my heart and soul. I cannot begin to understand the depths of pain and suffering Miss Park experienced and that continues to plague millions of innocents in N. Korea and China. Thank you, Lex, for bringing this horror to our attention.

I avoided watching this because I knew it would be painful just to hear. At several points I could feel myself tearing up. I'm 6'6, she's 80 pounds; and I am in awe of her strength.

This interview is one for the history books. Such great questions, as always, Lex. What a remarkable, strong, incredibly brave and beautiful woman. Great job.

This is honestly one of the most important videos on this channel, we should always be aware of the horrors that could be upon us if the power over the people ends up in the wrong hands

She educated herself living in South Korea while working the most menial jobs as a cashier at a 711 type of store while reading and studying on her own at night. She read through all the Korean and international classic literature in total rapture and enthrallment. She got into university and graduated while learning English and she then applied and got into Columbia and wrote her book and basically created her career. She's beyond brilliant. From a Korean cultural perspective her academic achievement allows her to wield a level of respect that Koreans worship but there's a shade of brokenness and shame that shows through. Her insane achievements and her intense makeup and fashion are her armor. I wish her happiness and peace in all she does.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2064">34:24</a> The horror is not the crime, the horror is everyone else looking away.

I have been a student at Columbia University since 2019 and my experience has been a complicated mess to the point where I have been heavily considering leaving before finishing my degree for the last few months. Yeonmi Park is the first person to make me feel pride in my school since I have been there. Thank you for your passion, your love, and your voice.

After watching this and her interview with Jordan Peterson I think I can honestly say Yeon mi is quite possibly thee most extraordinary human being I've ever encountered so far. To have gone through everything she has gone through and yet still have empathy towards those who have harmed her is unbelievable. She is a beacon of hope for humanity.

Lex, I’ve discovered your channel only a couple weeks back and have been binge-watching it ever since. You’re introducing me to so many interesting, insightful, genuine, deep, different, clever perspectives and I applause and thank you for that. These conversations are a true trove of hope and inspiration.

Yeonmi Park blew me away. One of the most powerful interviews I have ever experienced in my life. Thank you Lex, for having her on your show.

For me, this was a very powerful conversation. She's a very strong and courageous individual.

I spend a lot of time trying to remember that pure thought doesn't happen in words...but what Yeonmi says about language and power in childhood seems very profound. The clarity and simplicity of her hard earned wisdom is mesmerising.

"Suffering is necessary for people to be gratful" -Yeonmi park

The part about controlling your words and through them your thoughts made me realize why Jordan Peterson was so upset about the compelled speech law in Canada.

Yeonmi's responses are so profound.. every sentence so deep. A brave heart and a wise monk at the same time. Keep going, Park. Best part of Lex is, he speaks his mind out, without spoiling the integrity of the conversation.. Keep going, Lex

this is one of the most powerful interviews yet

That intro Lex you didn't have to make me cry like that. Love the interview.

Intro was intense Lex. Powerful stuff.

When Yeonmi asks "why is there so much anti-human sentiment in this world?" ... I believe that's a question many of us are asking lately. We must get to the bottom of why this sentiment exists, understand who is perpetuating it and how we can combat it individually and collectively.

I have seen so many of these Lex podcasts I love them all and this one was such a gem.

This was incredible such a powerful and inspirational interview, Lex. I am grateful for the hard work both of you do to spread love and compassion ❤

I have not yet listened to this podcast, but I am deeply intrigued every time this lady tells her story; her story is powerful. Her wisdom is gold, so brutally earned.

I am from Belarus and relate so much to what Yeonmi has to say. Dear Americans, it’s truly on you to appreciate freedoms you have & help the rest of the world

thanks for offering your podcasts on multiple platforms with limitted advertising. It's unusual to offer so much for so little in this time. Appreciation m8

This is, to me, the best interview you have ever done. Bringing up Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning was perfect. This women is so brave. I hope she can find happiness. With love.

Gotta say Mr. Fridman, I'm thoroughly enjoying the conversations I've seen so far. Your questions are intellectually well thought out with an obvious sense of earnestness and compassion.

Amazing! Thank you for doing this.

One year later, I finally m ready to listen and this podcast is extremely hard to swallow. I m sure in time, I will reach the end eventually. Thank you Alex and Yeonmi Park. May you overcome and succeed in time.

Read about her and it seems there are some reports out there about “inconsistencies” with her story, so I looked into them… Here are a few of the big ones: 1. She said a friend’s mother was executed for watching a James Bond film, other times describes it as a Hollywood film, other times as a South Korean DVD. The problem with this story, besides the “inconsistency” is that other defectors say you would not be executed for such a thing, even in North Korea, and that executions, when they did happen, were few in number, for more serious things, and done on the outskirts of the city, not in a stadium as she said. 2. She played a version of herself in a pseudo-reality show in South Korea, wherein she is described as the “Paris Hilton” of North Korea, whose family was somewhat well off in North Korea and had things like designer purses-obviously this is in stark contrast to the way she describes her life there elsewhere. 3. She said she was near starving in the wild with her sister for a period of a few years, resorting to eating grass and dragonflies to survive. Other times, she has said she and her sister learned to cook during this time to survive, and another time that her sister went to live with an uncle while she lived with an aunt. Okay, so to play devil’s advocate, none of these truly seem like lies or inconsistencies to me. 1. The movie she speaks of could be described as a James Bond movie or a Hollywood movie or a South Korean dvd. They aren’t mutually exclusive. I am assuming it was a dubbed/subbed Korean language James Bond film, smuggled into the country, and “South Korean” in the sense that it subtitled for a South Korean audience/literally a dvd from South Korea, of a James Bond film. As to whether the film was “Hollywood” vs. British, this is a small easily explainable discrepancy-many Asian people, and some westerners too, will refer to any big budget western film as “Hollywood” regardless of where it was produced. Having lived in Beijing, I can tell you that Harry Potter is called a “Hollywood” film, even though it technically isn’t. Also, it’s my understanding she was a child when this execution happened, which she has said. It could easily be the case the mother was executed for subversion and a number of things, one small part of which was watching banned western films. When I was young I remember asking my father why Bill Clinton was being impeached, and him telling me, “Because he is a bad husband.” For years, I thought this was the reason. And while true in a childhood sense, it’s more of a turn of phrase than the actual technical reason. 2. The tv series she was part of is just that-a tv series. She didn’t even use her own name. Whether the series is presented as reality or not doesn’t make a difference to me. As a young pretty girl she could easily have been playing the “Korean Paris Hilton” role and we shouldn’t take what was said on a tv show too literally. 3. It’s my understanding that the period she described was several years… a lot can happen over the course of three years. She may have been starving and eating grass at one point-but not literally every single meal for three years… it’s pretty unfair to say “she lied” because she has described different meals over the course of several years. Same with her sister and her being apart. Finally, she chalks this up to poor English at the time and imperfect childhood memories. Are parts of her story untrue? Did she embellish things? I don’t know. But looking into these “discrepancies” hasn’t led to any earth shattering revelations. In fact, they aren’t really discrepancies at all.

‘I don’t want someone to do something because they’re guilty, I want them to do something because they’re grateful’ And THIS, is the problem with America today. Thank you. What a gem 💎

“It is when people underestimate evil - that’s what scares me.” Absolutely. Most Americans don’t understand the evil that humans are capable of.

Yeonmi reminds me of a monarch butterfly. Beautiful, intuitive, grounded, searching, seeking, and always looking to go home. What a beacon for the potential we humans can aspire to. Us mortals can only hope to follow in her light.

Such a beautiful person. Thank u for sharing. I don’t know how she continues to be so optimistic. Yeonmi, ur bravery helps many people. And very much across time. This video will persist n be recognized as very special for a long time. It will we very special and help many people for long after we are here.

I may have only seen this 7 months after it was uploaded, but one is never too late to watch this. Lex, you are a legend. Yeonmi, there are simply no words for your bravery. Massive respect to you both.

Imagine if this was tv, and not Fallon or Love Island

I'm crying. We don't really have problems, do we. Thank you, Lex and Yeonmi.

What an amazing woman. I’ve heard her speak about many topics, but I had no idea how deep and thoughtful she is

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="68">1:08</a>:20 - "It's not that easy to be free. Thinking for yourself, constantly"

Absolute champion of a lady and one of my living “heroes”

I have heard several interviews with Ms. Park. I learned a lot about her journey. This interview was the most compelling. Great job, Lex. God bless you Yeonmi.

i stumbled upon her book in a huge book store, covered in dust on a top shelf. i finished a couple days ago and really was an incredible one. this just happened to pop up on my feed, thank you!

Damn!!! This conversation, I think could be one the best conversations I’ve EVER heard. Life changing. I feel so uneducated about the world. This podcast is TRULY eye opening. Thanks Lex

Wow. I’m 30 minutes in and am blown away. Lex - please don’t ever stop this podcast. You’ve opened my eyes to so many things.

Thank you Lex for having this one on one conversation with Yeonmi!! I’m truly touched by your story Yeonmi You are a very strong person and so inspirational so keep doing what you do best to bring peace to humanity🙏🥰🙏 Thank you so much for sharing your story because I can totally relate in many ways. My family and I escaped from war and our lives have been spared and are given a second chance. we are so blessed and grateful for the new life that we have now 🙏🙏🙏

i have never felt so compelled by someone's story. Beautiful interview, Lex. Yeonmi, you are a game changer, i really do hope your testimony brings change into the situation in your home country, and someday you can go back to your land to see your people free from this regime. Much love to you both

I am from Poland so I am hunted by the stories of my grandparents and my parents as well. They overcame difficulties because of love. That's why our only protection from evil is learn how to love. Otherwise we will eat each other, history proved it many times.

Lex, thank you for interviewing her and for helping raise awareness about what you rightly call unimaginable cruelty. I watched Peterson's interview with Yeonmi and remember bawling my eyes out. The worst part was her brief comment about meeting other survivors and realizing *she was lucky.* Her story is beyond heartbreaking and extremely difficult to hear. But we have to summon the courage and the fortitude to do something about this.

What an amazing person. She ought to be so proud of the strong woman she became after living through that horror

Cannot begin to say how impactful this podcast is. Lex you are an absolute legend and truly an inspiration when it is most needed.

On the dictator and reading Animal Farm: "but when I was ending the last chapter... everyone was responsible for creating this dystopia..." And that is one of the great and horrible truths of life we have to recognize and live with. Everyone shares the guilt.

Yeonmi Park has been on fire lately, being on all the famous channels and podcasts. I hope everyone hears her story in order to learn and prevent past generations’ mistakes. Brilliant how you got her on, Lex. Also, I’m expecting this to get emotional as North Korea is no different than the Soviet Union.

Yeonmi, I love you, I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you for being so brave and for educating us all. My heart is broken, I will try to help

This is the most powerful podcast iv seen yet. It hits home when you see how emotional lex is in the opening statement and throughout when usually he is very level headed.

The pain you feel in her voice when she talks about her experiences is so heartbreaking. It's so unimaginable what kind of suffering she had to go through I hope all people in North Korea will someday have the freedom and the quality of life we have here in the Western World.

This one was heavy, I've had the impression she was about to break into tears quite a few times buh held strong. Keep those memories alive so we don't make mistakes again.

What a beautiful and moving conversation. Yeonmi Park is incredibly insightful.

Such an amazing interview, Lex.

Mesmerized by the intro. Thank you, Lex, for all that you do.

Props to the interviewer for getting so deep with Yeonmi. I've heard nearly ever interview she has ever done but I learned some new things and got insights from this that I never had before. Well done and thank you.

Damn, this was a powerful interview. Yeonmi is an inspiration.

Thank you for these quality, mind opening, heart crushing and expanding interviews.

He carries his hatred well. I still saw his compassion first.

I'm beyond excited for this. Lex will ask her questions others have not.

Every time I hear Yeonmi Park speak I am so inspired. God bless her in her work and you in yours. Thank you for helping educate the world.

I was very moved by your intro. Your podcasts are a great contribution to humanity. Great work.

I got schooled by this conversation. Yeonmi Park and Lex gave me a lesson in life and iam older than both. Thanks for this video.

It must have been mesmerizing being one of the people by her side who helped teach her the meaning of these words and watching her moments of discovering our way of life. Beautiful moments. Thank you for sharing your story. Some stories have such triumph and wonderful victories. You deserve nothing but peace and freedom from here on out.

Yeommi's story is so compelling. Her story brings tears

beautiful Yeonmi, thank you so much for speaking your incredible mind

This is bound to be an incredible podcast.

She has such a sharp and beautiful mind. I often ponder between how different she would be if she didn’t have all of her life experiences growing up versus how all those life experiences shaped the person she is today. I am happy to know that we will have her here for many years to come!

I’ve listened to Rogan’s podcast with Yeonmi, then yours and now I’m going to listen to Peterson’s. Yeonmi has inspired me. She is uncommonly intelligent with fierce individualism. More power to her.

Thank you for standing up Lex!! Big props to PARK YEON MI…. a lovely, strong woman! May she enjoy more prosperity, new friends, and REMAIN SAFE.

I'm ashamed that alot times I feel like my life is so bad. When there are people out in the world who have it way worse. Especially the people in North Korea my heart aches for them. Thank you Lex and Yeonmi for this interview. It sheds a light on how lucky we are to have freedom. But yet some of us still complain.

“Great leaders create more leaders, not followers.” Roy T. Bennett

Eye opening, saddening, frustrating. Thanks Lex! Thanks Yeonmi! Something else to feel helpless about changing.

When she said "That's the unique thing about freedom, you've got to fight for it, otherwise you'll never get it" shows her wisdom. God bless and guide this woman.

The intro gave me goosebumps ! Look forward to listening to this

She is, easily, one of my favorite persons on the planet!

This is the kind of show that can (and hopefully will!) change the world! Thank you, Yeonmi for sharing your inspiring story!

Damn just the intro hit all the feels...

Bittersweet interview. Insightful, thoughtful, beautiful and terrifying all at the same time. A reminder to be thankful for some many things we take for granted.

This is such an amazing conversation. She is so well spoken and amazed how much she knows of our world views! Great podcast!

What an amazing podcast. I remember hearing her speak a few years ago, so happy I ran across this eye opening piece. Thank you Lex and thank you Yeonmi

You are a great guy, and you really do something special here with these podcasts.

What an amazing country we have, that two people whom English is their second language can use those words to have such a powerful conversation.

The fact that this woman is so articulate in a 2nd language, so insightful on the plights of humanity and is not completely consumed by her past, we are witnessing a conversation with an exceptional human being. This is the best of who we are. One iota of her experiences transferred to me or anyone in the western world would spiral most of us. I don’t say this to denigrate us in the west, simply an observation on the lack of perspective not as individuals but as a whole. Fascinating, inspiring, troubling and humbling. Yeonmi is an exceptional human being, period. Honored to listen to this conversation.

Loved this conversation!