EPISODE · Feb 26, 2026 · 1H 23M
Ep. 96 - North Korean Defector: The Freedom Nobody Warned Me About (Ft. Eunhee Park)
from Dating Beyond Borders · host Marina Iakovleva
In this special episode, I speak with Eunhee Park, a North Korean defector, about her escape from North Korea and her journey to South Korea.We explore the questions many people have about life inside North Korea: did she ever question the Supreme Leader? What does being “well off” actually mean in North Korea? Do North Koreans fall in love and have romantic relationships? Eunhee shares the unexpected hardships she faced after arriving in South Korea: from discrimination and intense culture shock to overwhelming freedom, endless choices, and the pressure of adapting to a highly competitive society. She opens up about the difficulty of starting over from zero, rebuilding identity, and facing loneliness in an entirely new world.Why do so many North Korean defectors struggle to feel like they belong in South Korea? What hurts the most when you leave your country behind? And what do we, living with freedom and choice, take for granted every day?Read "The Courage to Die": https://shorturl.at/edYGBSay hi to Eunhee: https://www.instagram.com/northkorea_eunhee/Each week I will interview guests from all around the world on the topics of culture, connection and of course, dating. The goal is to go as deep as possible and to really understand where we all come from and how much culture influences our life.Want to join the mailing list? https://datingbeyondborders.eo.page/newsletterSay hi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datingbeyondbordersDating Beyond Borders channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/datingbeyondborders
What this episode covers
In this special episode, I speak with Eunhee Park, a North Korean defector, about her escape from North Korea and her journey to South Korea.We explore the questions many people have about life inside North Korea: did she ever question the Supreme Leader? What does being “well off” actually mean in North Korea? Do North Koreans fall in love and have romantic relationships? Eunhee shares the unexpected hardships she faced after arriving in South Korea: from discrimination and intense culture shock to overwhelming freedom, endless choices, and the pressure of adapting to a highly competitive society. She opens up about the difficulty of starting over from zero, rebuilding identity, and facing loneliness in an entirely new world.Why do so many North Korean defectors struggle to feel like they belong in South Korea? What hurts the most when you leave your country behind? And what do we, living with freedom and choice, take for granted every day?Read "The Courage to Die": https://shorturl.at/edYGBSay hi to Eunhee: https://www.instagram.com/northkorea_eunhee/Each week I will interview guests from all around the world on the topics of culture, connection and of course, dating. The goal is to go as deep as possible and to really understand where we all come from and how much culture influences our life.Want to join the mailing list? https://datingbeyondborders.eo.page/newsletterSay hi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datingbeyondbordersDating Beyond Borders channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/datingbeyondborders
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Ep. 96 - North Korean Defector: The Freedom Nobody Warned Me About (Ft. Eunhee Park)
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