Jihyun Park joined Freedom Speakers International as an English language student in early 2014. She joined FSI’s North Korean Refugee Keynote Speakers Network when it was formed in late 2020.

She is co-author of the forthcoming book: “The Hard Road Out: Escaping North Korea.” (originally published in French as Deux Coréennes.)

Today, as a human rights activist, she exemplifies tremendous courage as she advocates for the rights of North Korean women and children. She is the winner of the NatWest Chairman’s Award AWA in 2018, Award Amnesty Brave Award 2020, and the Han Won Chae Human Rights Award in 2021.

Ms. Park is a survivor of forced marriage and human trafficking.

She escaped twice from North Korea, enduring imprisonment in North Korean gulags and many near-death experiences.

She currently lives in the UK with her family, where she became the first North Korean refugee conservative candidate for local elections in 2021.

She is a TEDx Oxford speaker as well as the winner of The Sunday Times Alternative Honors 2021.