I was born in North Korea in 1956 and lived there until 1986, when I defected to China. Sixteen months later, in 1987, I was arrested and sent back to North Korea, via a bridge between _________, in China, and ______________ in North Korea.

The reason I defected was that people are not treated equally there. In North Korea, not one single crime or accident is made known publicly. And although its official name is the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea, there is absolutely no freedom and the land is not the people's at all. I no longer wanted to live in such a place.

My faith in God began in April 1987 through a Christian church in ____________, China. I had heard about God but did not have detailed knowledge about Jesus or Christianity. I had not even had a chance to read the Bible.

In those days I was working in a mine. I got a copy of the Bible and began reading it, but I did not understand very much. Then I was arrested by the Chinese police. They packed up all my things and sent them and me back to North Korea.

When I arrived, I was questioned about the Bible they had found in my possession. I denied any knowledge of it. Though the interrogator thought I might really not have known, his boss would not be able to be convinced, so he demanded a better answer from me.

So I confessed that I obtained the Bible to read, simply because I wanted to know more about God. Then the interrogation heated up so they could find out where I even heard about God to begin with. Then I was sent to Yodok Political Prison Camp under the charges of "disturbing Party policy", committing "national treason" by illegally crossing the border, and "anti-revolutionary activities" by which they meant my reading of the Bible!

Much severe torture followed, and more interrogation, for eight long months. Then I was imprisoned without a trial there in Yodok. That was 1988.