What is purported to be a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile is seen during a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War, on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, July 27, is seen in this photo provided by the North Korean government. AP-Yonhap



By Kim Dong-jae



I am a former North Korean who worked overseas for several years before recently escaping to South Korea. Even though I was living outside of North Korea, I was still a slave to Kim Jung-un. North Korean workers like me were exploited by the regime.



Last year, I successfully escaped from North Korea's slavery to South Korea's freedom.



I am living in my third country, but for the first time, I am free to read, write, think, observe, and learn about North Korea and the world as a free person.



I recently watched on the news as the North Korean government organized a luxurious military parade on the 70th anniversary of the Armistice ending the Korean War. Now that I am out of North Korea, those military parades are more ridiculous to me.



The Kim family in North Korea calls Armistice Day "Victory Day" and forces people to also call it that. When I was young, I didn't even know that there was a ceasefire agreement between North Korea and the UN forces. I simply thought that North Korea had won the war.



Even now, Kim Jong-un, the 3rd generation of the slave-owning Kim Family, insists that July 27th is "the day of victory," and forces North Koreans to celebrate it as "Victory Day."



I saw a video from North Korea that showed the ceremony for the 70th anniversary of Armistice Day.



As a former slave of the North Korean regime, I hope people realize that every time the slave master Kim Jong-un orders such extravagant displays that tens of thousands of people are forced to mobilize and endure immense suffering.



After being conscripted into months of event rehearsals and drills, it's anyone's guess how many will starve to death. Amidst plummeting national income and a growing horde of beggars, in the midst of these murderous spectacles, Kim Jong-un keeps laughing as if he's having the time of his life.



In the final scene, a North Korean woman screams, "General, you only care about yourself."



We must help the slaves of North Korea. I hope more North Koreans will one day be able to read, watch, and observe the news of the day, and be able to speak out freely as I am now doing.









Kim recently escaped from North Korea after living abroad for five years as an overseas worker for the regime. Kim is not his real name and prefers to remain anonymous for now. This blog post was edited for publication by Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder and co-president of Freedom Speakers International (FSI) with Lee Eun-koo.





