Ted Talk By Euna Lee Analysis

The People Behind the Fallout

The North Korean people live under an oppressive regime. For years, the only image that I could make out of the North Korean people were either people suffering or being absorbed by its nationalist culture. I only knew North Korea through its government, not its people. When I saw Euna Lee’s Ted Talk something just clicked. Originally, Euna Lee sought to reveal the plight of refugees fleeing North Korea for a better life. Though in an ironic twist of fate, soldiers captured and held a prisoner in North Korea, denying her the very freedom she promoted. Despite this, Euna Lee’s time as a prisoner sheds light not on the plight of those fleeing North Korea, but those who still stay in North Korea.

As a prisoner, you

We were discussing current events and the topic of North Korea came up. We discovered that the North Korean government had resumed its nuclear program. This news did not make us afraid as we knew that North Korea’s technology was subpar. Though the time of seeing North Korea as a minor inconvenience has passed. Every day the media bombards me about the threat called North Korea. The constant fear, stress, and ignorance may have led me to have a similar image that Euna Lee had of North Koreans. Never did I truly research the nature of the dynamics behind the relationships between North and South Korea. Neither did I attempt to learn about their culture, or what led them to this state. After listening to the Ted Talk I realized that the constant propaganda over the years led me to about North Korea not as a country people with families, but as, “the threat with the

Acts of genocide, starvation, and terror, many terrible things have happened on this planet. Though despite these times of adversity and hardship, these are the instances where the best of humanity shines through. Looking back at the Ted Talk I saw how the North Korean guards gave Lee strength to keep going despite being a prisoner. Such instances of goodwill remind me of the “Christmas Truce”. The truce happened during World War One where British and German soldiers agreed to a ceasefire soldiers in honor of Christmas. Sworn enemies laid down their arms and celebrated together, drank together, and exchanged gifts. During one of the bloodiest periods in human history, people were still able to form bonds and genuine relationships despite the consequences from higher authorities. The overall message of the Ted Talk that the people are not in control of their government but are pawns of higher authorities. The soldiers in the army had nothing against each other, their leaders did. The North Korean guards had nothing against Lee, the North Korean government did. The North Korean people have little say in how their government runs and how they can express themselves, how can demonize