“After Defecting, Her Parents Were Sent to a Mining Town”...The Heartbreaking Story of a YouTuber With 240,000 Subscribers

[Financial News] Kim Seo-a, a defector YouTuber with 240,000 subscribers, said that after she defected, her parents, who had been left behind in North Korea, were forcibly deported and later died. She broke down in tears as she recalled feeling guilty for being unable to bring her parents to South Korea and remembered the last conversation she had with her father.
On the 12th, MBN’s Teukjong Sesang featured defector YouTuber Kim Seo-a’s life settling in South Korea and her family history. She is known for a YouTube video that has garnered as many as 6 million views.
After settling in South Korea, Kim Seo-a began working as a Pilates instructor. She is now applying for various auditions with the goal of becoming an actress, and recently appeared in the film Humint.
Kim Seo-a, who said she had not initially planned to leave North Korea, said she began considering defection after meeting her current husband.
She recalled their first meeting: “I went to Cambodia at 18 to earn money, and I met my husband when he came to the restaurant as a customer. As we became close, he showed interest in me.”
Kim Seo-a said, “My husband had urged me to go to South Korea before then, but every time, I would react strongly and say, ‘Don’t say things like that. I’ll report you to the State Security Department.’”
She said she decided to defect after taking a vacation in Pyongyang in 2018. She said the escape was so dangerous that she had to jump from a three-story building.
Kim Seo-a said that even after settling in South Korea, she tried to bring her parents, who had been left behind in North Korea, to the country, but ultimately could not achieve her goal.
According to her account, after Kim Seo-a defected, her parents were forcibly deported to a mining village, and her father died the following year. Her mother also died last year, after a cerebral thrombosis left her with difficulty moving around.
Kim Seo-a said she was 21 the last time she saw her parents. “My guilt is so overwhelming that I even feel that crying means I’m failing to be a good daughter to my parents,” she said, expressing how sorry she felt toward them.
She was especially moved to tears as she recalled having argued with her father the last time they met.
Kim Seo-a regretted what she had said at the time: “I said, ‘I hate you so much,’ said some really awful things, and left. Dad got angry too, saying, ‘You’re no longer my daughter.’ But that was the last time.”


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter