The Hard Road Out: One Womans Escape From North Korea

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The harrowing story of a woman who escaped famine and terror in North Korea, not once but twice.

A gripping, suspenseful and cathartic memoir that tells a story of pain and perseverance and makes the moral case for asylum. David Lammy MP
North Korea is an open-air prison from which there is no escape. Only a handful of men and women have succeeded.

Jihyun Park is one of these rare survivors. Twice she left the land of the socialist miracle to flee famine and dictatorship.

By the age of 29 she had already witnessed a lifetime of suffering. Family members had died of starvation; her brother was beaten nearly to death by soldiers. Even smiling and laughing was discouraged.

The first time she ran, she was forced abandon her father on his deathbed crossing the border under a hail of bullets. In China she was sold to a farmer, with whom she had a son, before being denounced and forcibly returned to North Korea.

Six months later guards abandoned her, injured, outside a prison camp. She recovered and returned China to seek her son, now six, before attempting to navigate the long, hard road through the Gobi Desert and into Mongolia.

Clear-eyed and resolute, Jihyuns extraordinary story reveals a Korea far removed from the talk of nuclear weapons and economic sanctions. She remains sanguine despite the hardship. Recalling lifes tiny pleasures even at her darkest moments, she manages to instill her tale with incredible grace and humanity.

Beautifully written with South Korean compatriot Seh-lynn Chai, this compelling book offers a stark lesson in determination, and ultimately in the importance of asylum.

Reviews

A Washington Post noteworthy book

I am still reeling. How does one person carry so much the pain of a family lost and life destroyed, and the joy and challenge of a new family and a new life in such an unfamiliar place Financial Times

A gripping, suspenseful and cathartic memoir that tells a story of pain and perseverance and makes the moral case for asylum. David Lammy MP

Extraordinary. Elegantly written, reflective, wise, sad and at times almost unbearably painful. Marcel Theroux

Parks story is shocking and a testament to her resilience. The Telegraph

The brave, tender, and intimate narrative provides a frank and balanced view of the reality of life under a dictatorship. Kirkus

A compelling and well-written account of life inside (and outside of) North Korea. Moving without being sentimental, comprehensive but never dry. Daniel Tudor, author of North Korea Confidential

An incredible story of survival and escape that provides tremendous insight Anyone who wants to understand North Korea and be inspired by the strength of a true survivor must read this book. War on the Rocks

A story of suffering, detention, fear and humiliation. The Hon Michael Kirby, former Chair of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry On Human Rights Violations in North Korea

Courage and sacrifice befall few. Jihyun is one of those few. This fascinating and shocking book allows us to stand with Jihyun and others like her. Lord David Alton, Chairman of the British-DPRK All-Party Parliamentary Group

A riveting story of pain, suffering, starvation, betrayal, abandonment, and ultimately redemption. This deeply personal tale offers profound insights on human nature and the inhumanity of the North Korean state. Jihyun Parks courage is a true inspiration. Professor Sung-Yoon Lee, author of The Sister

Author Bio

Today, Jihyun Park is the Outreach and Project Officer at the European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea. Park was the Outreach and Project Office at the European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea, and is an online Language tutor and Human Rights Activist. Seh-Lynn Chai lives with her family in London but still spends considerable time in Seoul, where her parents reside. A South Korean diplomat's daughter, Seh-lynn was born and raised from an early age in Korea, France and West Africa. Her first career was at JPMorgan before she became a writer. Seh-lynn has a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in French Literature from L'Universite Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV). She finished her PhD coursework at New York University before completing an MBA at Columbia Business School in 1994.