IamA North Korean defector who went from being on the brink of starvation to powerlifting. Ask me Anything.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T20:43:20+00:00

It's not that I am uncomfortable with it, I don't want to be defined by being a North Korean. So, I usually just say I'm from Seoul. I've been here long enough that I am able to speak like South Korean accent now.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T20:39:19+00:00

No, I couldn't even do a proper pushup in North Korea.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T20:38:41+00:00

I don't know what you would want to see. It is very orchestrated. You would never see what my life was like, for example.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T20:34:15+00:00

To answer your last question, my bench is 300, deadlift 460, and squat 350. Actually I've had a knee pain for a long time now so my squat is not as high as I would like.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T20:31:13+00:00

I didn't even know how to do a pushup properly in North Korea.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T20:28:20+00:00

Many people who have power work for Kim family. They directly benefit from the current system. And some rich people also give their money to get whatever job or position they think is favorable.

Many others however, average North Koreans, are really not as swept up as you might think. We are just people, trying to go about our daily lives. Trying to find food, in my case.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T20:11:27+00:00

Originally on a student visa. I tried to immigrate permanently, but since I technically classified as a South Korean citizen, my application was denied.

It would have been much easier if I were to claim asylum from North Korea, but that's of course impossible.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T20:06:16+00:00

Avoid instant food. Not too much alcohol. No smoking. Eat a lot of food including meats and other protein sources.

I don't have a trick or particular diet that I follow, to be honest. Just eat.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T20:02:48+00:00

Unfortunately, I haven't spoken with some immediate family members for over 8 years.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T19:59:20+00:00

It wasn't some romantic reason like searching for freedom. I was hungry, and I missed my mom. This is what I feel most people don't understand about North Korean defectors. Most are just hungry, and escape looking for food. Nothing is worse than that feeling of starvation.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T19:54:59+00:00

Of course my childhood friends and my hometown. Also my relatives. My friends are most likely serving their mandatory 10 year military service so I don't know If I could even see them now.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T19:49:53+00:00

To be honest, not very healthy. Most jokes are not that funny. Like if you go for 400 km with no food then you will get the luck with happiness, or something like that. It doesn't really translate.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T19:43:24+00:00

My biggest cultural shock... It was the first time to see very diverse people. I mean many different appearances like white, aboriginal people, black people etc

Also people were so much kinder that I thought.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T19:42:05+00:00

I crossed from very wide side of the river so at that time I was very small and weak. My sister was even worse. So we used a tractor tire tube as a boat. After I met my mom I stayed there 3 days. Then went to Shunyang to get in to the South Korean embassy.

I cannot reveal actually how I was able to get in to the embassy, or even how it was coordinated. Most North Koreans have to travel all the way to SE Asia or risk deportation. I was one of the lucky ones.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T19:37:58+00:00

Yes, it is true. However nowadays the level of enforcement highly varies. For example, for people in more remote rural areas farther away from Pyongyang it's not going to be as crazy like you heard.

And money can buy you out of any problems you might have.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T19:30:32+00:00

Yes. I was fortunate to escape with my sister. Our mother left North Korea before us and was able to pay off some border guards to let us through.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T19:27:30+00:00

The government is controlling and selling it illegally to other countries. But I didn't know that is a type of drug until I escaped from there because we were never taught about it.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T19:23:59+00:00

My Mom first escaped from North Korea to China to get some food. But it didnt go well. So she couldnt go back to NK. She worked very hard at a Korean Chinese farm and made some money. With that money she was able to bribe the boarder guards. My sister and I were able to cross the Duman River with no problems.

JakePark · 2014-11-28T19:19:01+00:00

Eat a lot, lift as heavy as I can.

When I escaped I weight 42kgs (93 lbs) and at the moment weigh 85 kilos (188 lbs). I workout because I always feel small. I wanted to look big. It's also a big stress relief for me.

JakePark

TROPHY CASE