A group of defectors from North Korea have launched an online news site in Seoul that aims to expose human rights abuses. As VOA correspondent Bill Gallo reports from Seoul, they also aim to offer a different perspective on their homeland.
When North Korea is mentioned in the international news, images of the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, overseeing weapons tests generally dominate.
But these kinds of images of war overshadow what's really going on in much of the country, says North Korean defector Lee Seong-min.
“North Korea is not just nuclear weapons and Kim Jong Un. There are many people with different perspectives, hopes and aspirations for the future of their country”, says Mr. Lee.
He escaped from North Korea in 2012 and now helps with the website NK Insider, which aims to provide a platform for the voices of North Koreans.
“A lot of people talk about North Korea, scholars and experts, but there are differences when you hear the voices of North Koreans who lived within that system,” says Mr. Lee.
About eight defectors from North Korea write for the website, which began operating this year. They secretly communicate with people inside North Korea and some of them do not want to appear on camera.
Zane Han, a former resident of Pyongyang, escaped from North Korea two years ago.
“No one can imagine what the situation is like inside North Korea, what the people inside North Korea experience – really as slaves in that country. But I was there and I know.” says Mr. Han.
He is one of the few North Koreans who managed to escape to South Korea. Since the pandemic, North Korea has tightened border security measures.
“It is becoming more and more difficult to escape from North Korea. This is something new. The chances for ordinary North Koreans are almost zero.” says Lee Shin-wha, South Korea's former ambassador for human rights in North Korea.
Lee Seong-min says that one of his goals is to speak on behalf of North Koreans who do not have the right to express themselves and who cannot leave.
“To provide a platform to North Korean defectors and therefore those still living there.” he says, as he tries to offer a different perspective on his country.
