68 pages • 2 hours read
Yeonmi Park, Maryanne VollersIn Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom
Yeonmi Park, Maryanne VollersNonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
PROLOGUE-CHAPTER 3
Reading Check
1. What is Park’s name for North Korea?
2. What organization visits Park’s mother after she repeats a rumor regarding the death of Kim Il Sung?
3. What entanglement of Ung Rook’s ancestral connection contributes to his poor songbun status?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What encourages Park to author her memoir, and how does the authorship of her memoir aid in her emotional healing?
2. How does Park describe her life in Hyesan, and what is the impact of scarcity on the people in her hometown?
3. How is North Korea’s caste system structured, and what contributes to the rise and downfall of the Sik family in the eyes of the North Korean government?
Paired Resource
“North Korea’s Caste System: The Trouble with Songbun”
- This article from Foreign Affairs explores the limitations of the songbun caste system in North Korea.
- Shared themes include The Meaning of Freedom.
- What was the North Korean government’s purpose in developing the songbun caste system? How does the songbun system impact individuals who live in North Korea?
”What North Korean Propaganda Posters Reveal”
- This CNN article provides examples of North Korea’s propaganda machine.
- Shared themes include The Meaning of Freedom and Activism as Self-Fulfillment.
- Based on the examples on the website, what do North Korea’s propaganda posters target? How does this message differ from Park’s own experience with the regime’s propaganda?
CHAPTERS 4-6
Reading Check
1. What capital city is partially responsible for the famine that swept across North Korea in the 1990s?
2. According to Park, what resource grants her the “first small taste of freedom”?
3. Who creates tension within Park’s family?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does the famine of the 1990s in North Korea affect the livelihood of Park’s family, and how do her parents compensate for these changes?
2. What forms of control are used by the North Korean regime to inspire loyalty in its citizens?
Paired Resource
“North Korea’s Devastating Famine”
- This article from History.com describes the famine during the mid-1990s in North Korea.
- Shared themes include The Price of Survival.
- What steps were taken by North Korea to combat famine in the mid-1990s? Were they effective? Why was the West largely unaware of the difficulties faced by North Korea during the 1990s famine?
CHAPTERS 7-11
Reading Check
1. Where is Jin Sik sent after being captured by the police for his illegal business operations?
2. What name is given to the younger generation in Hyesan because of their access to illegally traded goods?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What are the repercussions Park’s family must endure following her father’s arrest?
2. What inspires the Park family to leave North Korea, and how are Yeonmi and her mother separated from Eunmi?
3. What obstacles prevent Park from accepting Chun Guen’s marriage proposal?
CHAPTERS 12-14
Reading Check
1. Who is Park sold to after Zhifang lies about her age?
2. When is Park reunited with her father?
3. What is Park’s father diagnosed with after his escape to China?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How is the desperation of North Koreans escaping to China exploited by those who assist in escape? How specifically are Park and her mother treated in China?
2. How does Park’s character change after spending time working with trafficked women for Hongwei?
Paired Resource
“The Rights of Women and Girls in North Korea”
- This article from Human Rights Watch describes the discrimination of women and girls in North Korea.
- Content Warning: This article references trafficking, sex work, and sexual violence and exploitation. The content may not be appropriate for all readers.
- Shared themes include The Price of Survival and Activism as Self Fulfillment.
- Why do the limitations on women’s rights in North Korea stifle conversations surrounding sexual exploitation?
CHAPTERS 15-18
Reading Check
1. What habit does Hongwei develop as a result of his dwindling business?
2. What desert are Park and her mother forced to cross to escape to South Korea?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What is the cause of Park and Hongwei’s financial pressure in China, and how does it change Hongwei’s attitude toward Park’s parents?
2. How does Jin Sik’s death inspire Park, and why?
3. What enables Park and her mother to escape online sex work and flee to South Korea?
CHAPTERS 19-21
Reading Check
1. Who captures Park and her group after crossing the Chinese border?
2. What nickname is given to Park because of her determination to study hard?
3. What book resonates with Park and her experiences in North Korea?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What difficulties does Park face when first arriving in South Korea? How does she initially approach these problems, and what convinces her to behave differently?
2. What does Park do to assimilate to South Korean culture?
Paired Resource
“What Happens to Your Family When You Escape North Korea”
- This PBS article examines the stories of two individuals who escaped North Korea.
- Shared themes include The Price of Survival and The Meaning of Freedom.
- In what ways does South Korea welcome North Korean defectors? Why might defectors nonetheless find it difficult to adapt to their new lives?
CHAPTERS 22-24
Reading Check
1. What does Park change her major to at Dongguk University?
2. Who does Park meet upon her return to South Korea in 2013?
3. What language does Park strive to learn that later aids her in her humanitarian efforts?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What motivates Park to refuse to speak out on the Educational Broadcasting System, and why does she change her mind?
2. How does Park’s volunteer work in 2013 alter her perspective on life?
Recommended Next Reads
The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee
- This autobiography describes Hyeonseo Lee’s experience growing up in and eventually defecting from the North Korean regime.
- Shared themes include The Price of Survival, The Meaning of Freedom, and Activism as Self-Fulfillment.
- Shared topics include propaganda and the refugee experience.
- The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story on SuperSummary
Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden
- This biography describes the life of Shin Dong-hyuk and his successful escape from a North Korean concentration camp.
- Shared themes include The Price of Survival and The Meaning of Freedom.
- Shared topics include human rights and the refugee experience.
- Escape from Camp 14 on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
PROLOGUE-CHAPTER 3
Reading Check
1. The “Hermit Kingdom” (Prologue)
2. Bo-wi-bu (National Security Agency) (Chapter 1)
3. Land ownership (Chapter 3)
Short Answer
1. Park is encouraged by a quote by Joan Didion to reveal the darkest parts of her story: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live” (Prologue). The authorship of her memoir has enabled Park to reflect on her experience and find dignity again. (Prologue)
2. Park describes her experience with poverty in Hyesan—she specifically describes thin walls, mice in the ceiling, and frequent loss of electricity for long periods of time. The scarcity of her environment, in Park’s opinion, encourages a deep human connection where small pleasures are celebrated. (Chapter 1)
3. The songbun caste system in North Korea divides citizens into three classes, the elite class, the basic or wavering class, and the hostile class. The three classes are ranked based on their loyalty to the North Korean government. Initially, Park’s family is in good standing with the North Korean government due to her grandfather’s contributions during the Korean War. The family, however, falls out of favor with the North Korean government when Park’s uncle is accused of rape and attempted murder. (Chapter 2)
CHAPTERS 4-6
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. The food scarcity brought about by Moscow’s refusal to exchange goods with North Korea at a discounted rate results in economic collapse within the regime. North Korea, realizing it can no longer allocate goods as it once had, limits the availability of resources to North Koreans, resulting in famine. The famine causes citizens to turn to illegal trade which, in turn, results in North Korea’s increased censorship of trade. Park’s father, who was previously involved in illegal trade, is forced to make changes due to increased competition and to evade detection. Out of desperation, Park’s family begins to smuggle precious metals to China. (Chapter 4)
2. Kim’s reign is described as an “emotional dictatorship” due to the propaganda that inspires loyalty within North Korea. Government control is enforced through propaganda that is spread through weekly meetings and in schools. Radio and television stations are carefully monitored to promote state-sanctioned programs. Where propaganda fails, those who oppose the regime are subjected to imprisonment, public executions, or labor camps. (Chapter 5)
CHAPTERS 7-11
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Park’s family’s songbun social standing suffers due to her father’s involvement in illegal trade. Neighbors mock and scorn family members and the family struggles financially due to loss of income. Park’s mother’s long absences to assist her father cause the two daughters to go hungry. Additionally, financial struggles force the family to relocate to Min Sik’s home, where Park must perform manual labor to earn food. (Chapters 7-8)
2. The Park family loses faith in North Korea’s ability to restore the economy and decide to escape to China. Park becomes ill during this time and Eunmi, unwilling to wait for Park’s recovery, is presumed to have escaped to China. (Chapters 10-11)
3. Chun Guen is from an influential family with a good songbun status. With his proposal, Chun Guen reveals that he is aware of Park’s social status and unbothered by it, but Park does not believe the two will be able to reconcile the differences in their songbun status. (Chapters 9-11)
CHAPTERS 12-14
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Those who assist North Korean immigrants exploit their desperation by sending them to human traffickers who, in turn, sell the women as brides to Chinese men. Park’s mother is sold, forced to work hard labor, and treated as less than human by her husband. Park herself is sold to Hongwei, who agrees to reunite her family if she will become his bride. (Chapters 12-13)
2. After being exploited in human trafficking, Park becomes desensitized to the trade and begins to help Hongwei with his business by translating Korean into Chinese. (Chapter 12)
CHAPTERS 15-18
Reading Check
1. Gambling (Chapter 16)
2. Gobi Desert (Chapter 18)
Short Answer
1. China’s upcoming Beijing Olympics creates pressure on the nation to improve human rights. As a result, the Chinese government begins to eradicate the bride trafficking business. Hongwei’s business suffers because of government interference, and he laments the additional financial burden of Park, her mother, and her sick father. (Chapter 15)
2. Jin Sik dies with his eyes open. North Korean custom claims this is an indication of unfinished business in the world. Park believes her father’s unfinished business is her missing sister, and she is determined to find her. (Chapter 15)
3. Park’s mother encounters a North Korean woman who knows of a Christian missionary in Qingdao. The missionaries are known to assist North Korean refugees in finding passage to South Korea. Park, hiding from the Chinese government to avoid deportation, attempts to save money for the journey. One of her regular online clients assists her financially with the journey. (Chapter 17)
CHAPTERS 19-21
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Park and her mother have difficulty finding acceptance in South Korea. For example, Park is asked not to enter an internet café when the South Korean owner realizes she has an accent. Rumors are spread about Park, prompting her to leave school and isolate herself from South Korean society. She later decides to return to school when she remembers her father’s wish that she would do well. (Chapter 21)
2. Park learns to dress and speak like South Koreans and studies South Korean media to assimilate into the culture. (Chapter 21)
CHAPTERS 22-24
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Initially, Park is reluctant to become a public figure as she feels she must hide her North Korean identity to belong in South Korean culture. The TV producer, however, convinces Park she may be able to find her sister if she participates. (Chapter 22)
2. In the past, Park described herself as being motivated by survival and her own plight. Her volunteer work with the poor in 2013 caused her to consider how she might help others in need rather than focusing on her own needs. The volunteer work helps Park to heal emotionally. (Chapter 23)
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