Lee Hyun-seo (33) escaped from North Korea at the age of 14 and, after enduring many hardships, finally made it to South Korea. Later, she heard that her family back in North Korea had been exiled to a remote mountain village. Determined to bring them to freedom, she made up her mind to help them escape.
Since her family could not speak Chinese, she had no choice but to personally guide them over 3,200 kilometers (1,990 miles) through China and Southeast Asia to reach the land of freedom.
At one point during the journey, their bus was stopped at a Chinese police checkpoint. Relying on her instincts, she managed to avoid danger by telling the officers that her family members were deaf and mute and that she was caring for them.
However, the family was later arrested in Laos. To get them out of prison, a fine had to be paid—but having already spent a large amount of money, she didn’t have a single penny left.
Just when she had reached the edge of despair, an Australian man named Dick Stolp (68), who was backpacking at the time, reached out to help. Thanks to his support, her family was miraculously released.
Because everything had happened so suddenly, Lee had not even been able to ask for his contact information. But four years later, with the help of a broadcasting company, she was reunited with the benefactor she had parted from in haste. As she shed endless tears and could only repeat the words “Thank you,” Mr. Stolp said this:
“Being there at the moment your fate changed—that was a blessing for me.”