North Korean refugee's unexpected relationship with Harvard

By Casey Lartigue Jr.

On Jan. 7, I met with Harvard graduate students visiting South Korea, thanks to a fellow Harvard alum informing me about their visit. After hearing about my work with North Korean refugees, the organizers of the Harvard Korea Trek invited me to return with a North Korean refugee the following Monday for a meeting at the Ministry of Unification.

I was delighted to accept their invitation and even more thrilled when my co-author, Han Song-mi, and my Freedom Speakers International (FSI) co-founder, Lee Eun-koo, agreed to join me.

The meeting was a powerful moment of connection. The students listened intently as I shared FSI’s mission of empowering North Korean refugees through English education and public speaking. Song-mi brought the story to life with her own journey — captured in her memoir, "Greenlight to Freedom: A North Korean Daughter's Search for Her Mother and Herself," which I had the honor of co-authoring.

This wasn’t Song-mi’s first Harvard-related event. In 2019, I invited her to the Harvard Club of Korea’s annual alumni dinner. It was her first experience attending an event of that scale, and she barely spoke to anyone, sticking close to me the entire evening. At the time, her English was limited, and her confidence was even lower. She later described the night as a magical experience. She told her mother about Harvard as though she was informing her about it, only to have her mother respond, “Are you crazy? Of course I know about Harvard!” Song-mi reminded her mom that she attended elementary school for one year in North Korea as she waited for her mom to return to her.

In late 2022, Song-mi and I spoke together at a Harvard Graduate School of Education event. Last September, she and North Korean refugee Eom Yeong-nam were featured speakers at a Ministry of Unification event that FSI helped organize in Harvard Square. Later this year, we will return to Harvard for another event. In 2019, she had not heard of Harvard, but this past Monday, she mingled freely with Harvard graduate students, sharing her story, answering their questions and representing herself as an author and advocate.

The students asked thoughtful questions about Song-mi’s experiences. They thanked Song-mi for sharing her story and helping them understand the human side of North Korea. A couple thanked me for bringing Song-mi’s story to the world and some thanked me and co-founder Lee Eun-koo for our work empowering North Korean refugees.

As we wrapped up lunch, I introduced Greenlight to Freedom in a little more detail. Almost everyone at the table bought a copy and wanted it to be signed by Song-mi (and me). Their interest reminded Song-mi that when she first started speaking out after a decade of silence, she had no idea that people were interested in North Korea and North Korean refugees.

Before parting ways, we gathered for group photos and selfies to commemorate the day. Of course, the students were most excited about taking selfies with Song-mi, but she invited me to join. “Mr. Casey! You’re the one who made me and brought my story into the world,” she said. “Of course, you should join me when I take a selfie with others!”

Casey Lartigue Jr. ([email protected]) is a member of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s (HGSE) Alumni Council, an HGSE Alumni admissions ambassador, a member of the Harvard Clubs of Korea, Seattle, Broward County, Fairfield County and Washington, and a member of Harvard Alumni for Education and Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs.