North Korean refugees who participated in FSI's 21st English speech contest pose during lunch after the contest. Courtesy of FSI

After 14 years of working directly with North Korean refugees, I've seen myths about them spread faster than smuggled South Korean dramas into Pyongyang.

Even well-intentioned experts often oversimplify North Korea, missing the nuances that make it such a complex place. And when it comes to North Korean refugees, people assume they all had the same escape story, the same motivations, or the same experiences after resettlement. But the reality is far messier.

I'll break down seven common myths and misunderstandings I've heard over the years — some of which contain a grain of truth, while others are completely off the mark. Let's separate fact from fiction.

1. 'North Korean refugees escape for freedom.'

"When I heard my father eating watermelon over the phone, I knew I had to escape." A single moment, a simple sound — sometimes, that's all it takes to push someone to risk everything for a new life. While many assume North Koreans escape for political freedom, their reasons are often far more personal, unexpected, and deeply human.

It is true that many North Korean refugees escape for freedom, but that's not the whole story.

Freedom Speakers International (FSI) has organized 21 "I am from North Korea" English Speech Contests, featuring about 150 speeches by North Korean refugees. Few talked about freedom being the reason they escaped. Instead, their testimonies reflect a wide range of deeply personal and often unexpected motivations that led them to leave North Korea.

The image of North Koreans bravely escaping in pursuit of democracy and freedom is powerful -- but it's not always accurate. Many North Korean refugees were not thinking about freedom in a political sense at all. They were thinking about survival, family, and escaping desperate circumstances.

In interviews, forums, and refugee testimonials, I've heard countless stories of people escaping not for ideology, but out of personal necessity. Some followed a parent, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, relative, a co-worker, or even a child across the border — sometimes willingly, sometimes reluctantly. Others were tricked by human traffickers, believing they were going to work in China, only to find themselves sold into forced marriages or the sex trade, a reality that affects thousands of North Korean women, according to Amnesty International (2022).

Some saw no future for themselves in North Korea after their family's songbun (social status) dropped due to a relative's political mistake, defection, or perceived disloyalty to the regime. Many were squeezed out when a close associate — a friend, coworker, or relative — was arrested, suspected of disloyalty, or fled the country. Eom Yeong-nam, author of the FSI book "Strongest Soldier of North Korea," was a loyal citizen and soldier who found he had few opportunities after his mother and brother escaped. After initially cursing and threatening them upon learning they had escaped, he eventually asked for their help in escaping himself. Some had no interest in politics at all — they were merely hungry, desperate for work, or looking for a way to support their families back home.

Many North Korean refugees didn't plan to permanently leave North Korea. They initially crossed the border for temporary relief — to buy food, work in China, or engage in smuggling. However, once in China, many found themselves unable to return safely because they witnessed life outside North Korea and realized they could never go back to their old lives after seeing how different the outside world was. Many feared arrest, especially if they had contacted South Koreans, churches, or activists. As a result, many who initially had no intention of fully defecting were forced to continue their journeys, often ending up in South Korea or third countries.

A 2014 United Nations study found that while some North Korean refugees cited political oppression as their reason for escaping, the majority left for economic survival. Many crossed into China not intending to defect permanently but simply to find food or work, according to a 2020 Human Rights Watch report.

I have heard some incredible stories about why North Korean refugees chose to escape. One refugee decided to escape when he heard his father eating watermelon over the phone. The sound of his father enjoying something as simple as watermelon made him realize how much he had been deprived — and at that moment, he knew he had to leave.

There have even been some unexpected stories related to freedom, such as a North Korean refugee who saw a video of a Westerner with dyed yellow hair and wanted to be free to do the same. For some, even small glimpses of personal expression — things like fashion, music, or the ability to make personal choices — planted the idea that life outside North Korea was different.

One refugee shared that she was inspired to escape after seeing a South Korean drama where a woman ate at a buffet and picked what she wanted to eat. That was in contrast to North Korea, where she had few choices about what to eat and often didn't have enough. Even something as simple as seeing electricity in China has convinced some to defect. One man said: "I looked across the river at night. Our side was dark. China was bright. I wanted to live where there were lights."

These stories may seem trivial compared to grand narratives about human rights and democracy, but they highlight something fundamental — that even the most personal and seemingly small realizations can spark a life-changing decision.

Of course, freedom matters to many North Korean refugees once they experience it. But most did not escape with democracy or political freedom in mind. Their initial decisions to leave were often pragmatic, based on economic hardship, personal circumstances, or immediate safety concerns.

This is not to undercut the powerful stories of those who do value freedom — many North Korean refugees become strong advocates for democracy and human rights after escaping. But their original motivations were often far more complex than the simplified narrative suggests.

By recognizing the wide range of reasons why North Koreans escape, we can move beyond romanticized stories and better understand the real challenges that North Korean refugees face both before and after leaving North Korea.

FSI just had its 21st English speech contest on February 22. Eight North Korean refugee speakers told eight different stories about their lives in North Korea, escapes, and resettlement in South Korea. All eight stories were different, with almost all of them discussing personal reasons they decided to escape from North Korea.

Casey Lartigue Jr. (CJL@alumni.harvard.edu) is the co-founder of Freedom Speakers International with Lee Eun-koo; and co-author with Han Song-mi of her memoir "Greenlight to Freedom: A North Korean Daughter's Search for Her Mother and Herself."