Hyeonseo Lee - Biography
Hyeonseo Lee – Human rights activist, author, and voice of North Korean refugees
Hyeonseo Lee is one of the most famous survivors of the North Korean regime – an author, activist, and international speaker whose story has moved millions of people. Her escape from North Korea, her unwavering determination, and her tireless commitment to human rights make her one of the most important voices of her generation.
Born in 1980 in Hyesan, a North Korean border town with China, Hyeonseo initially grew up in privileged circumstances. But even as a child, she was confronted with the brutal reality of the regime: public executions, omnipresent propaganda, and a society marked by fear and control. During the great famine of the 1990s, she witnessed the suffering and death of countless people – experiences she will never forget.
In 1997, at the age of just 17, Hyeonseo decided to flee to China. What was planned as a short stay turned into an eleven-year struggle for survival underground. She lived illegally with relatives, changed her identity several times, and lived in constant fear of being discovered and deported. It was not until many years later that she found a new home in South Korea – and did everything she could to help her family escape. Her daring rescue mission through China and Laos to South Korea is now part of her global commitment.
Life story “The Girl With Seven Names”
She reached an international audience with her bestseller The Girl with Seven Names. The book was published in over 20 countries and made her life story both a warning and an inspiration. Her TED Talk has now been viewed over 15 million times. Hyeonseo Lee has spoken at the United Nations, the Oslo Freedom Forum, and renowned universities such as Stanford, Princeton, and New York University.
In addition to her role as a speaker, she is a contributor to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other leading media outlets. She was a Young Leader at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., and graduated with a degree in English and Chinese from Hankuk University in Seoul. As executive producer of the documentary film Beyond Utopia (2024), she gives other refugees a platform and impressively shows the risks and hope behind every escape story.
Today, Hyeonseo Lee fights tirelessly to ensure that North Korean refugees are no longer left to fend for themselves, but are heard, protected, and supported. She plans to found an organization that will provide refugees from North Korea with new perspectives and international networking opportunities. Her vision: a world where no one has to remain silent out of fear.
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