March 4, 2014, was my true beginning of working with Yeonmi Park. She was a student in TNKR (now FSI), we had already given a speech together a few days before, I had arranged for her to be interviewed for a few media outlets. It was March 4, 2014 that it became official that we would work together.
I had joined Freedom Factory in late 2013, rejoining with Freedom Rapper Professor CEO Kim Chung-ho. Prof. Kim had been encouraging me to do an Internet podcast and to get on Facebook (he was encouraging me even before I started working with him for the first time in 2011).
I said no, I’m not much of a talking head on TV. And after hosting a radio show on XM Radio in the USA, I considered myself retired from the world of broadcast punditry.
After Yeonmi and I gave speeches together at an international school, I told her that she was destined to become an international speaker. But I told her that I would prove it with my actions, not just words. A few days later, I asked her if she would be interested in joining me on a podcast that I might start.
She agreed, then the next day at work I told Prof Kim: "I can do a podcast. But I want a co-host."
He was thrilled, then asked, "Who will be your co-host?"
I said "Yeonmi Park!"
He said, "Who? I've never heard of her."
I said with confidence, "You will. The whole world will."
After meeting and talking with her, he agreed to hire her and also accepted my crazy suggestions: Yeonmi would work part-time, no office duties, just get herself prepared to reach the international stage.
It seemed rather ambitious. Without Kim Chung-ho's agreement, Yeonmi and I might have found a way to work together, but it would not have happened so quickly. Having an organization endorsing our project brought credibility to what we were doing.
We signed a contract, with me as her mentor. We made sure she reserved all rights. She had grown up in North Korea and escaped through China, treated like a piece of property. She was going to be respected at all times in Freedom Factory and TNKR (now FSI).
March 17, we recorded the first podcast, in a hurry because we were both about to go overseas. We were moving at lightening speed, and continued to do so until October 2014 when her electrifying One Young World speech received international attention. It was amazing, I had guessed that if we worked together for a year that she would be ready to take off, but it took only about eight months. Back then, she called me "Boss." However, it was clear that she would go international one day.
The show was originally The Casey Lartigue Show with Yeonmi Park, but I knew from the beginning that she was the real star, and that one day I would be lucky if she remembered me! She has, by the way!
I had people from around the world who clearly had not been paying attention to my Facebook updates asking, "Have you heard of Yeonmi Park?" "Do you know the North Korean girl who gave that big speech?" 'Did you see the video by the North Korean girl in a hanbok?"
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What I didn't know that day in 2014 is that March 4 is also the birthday of Yeonmi's late father. She wrote the following message a year later:
MY HERO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY FATHER!
March is my favorite month. Because you were born in this month.
Even though we spent so short time together but for that less than 10 years time you taught me everything. How to love, being grateful always, respect others, trust, and most of all believe in hope no matter how difficult life could be.
Thank you so much for being a great example of all these. You showed me with your life being in the most worst place in the world North Korea.
It's been a biggest blessing and honor to be your baby girl and i will be always graceful to be your baby girl for the rest of my life.
The love you gave me was so big and haven't felt lake of father's love but i'm afraid to admit that sometimes it's so hard for me not to be able to see you again. And it still scares me the fact that I can't hold your warm and gentle hands again... I miss you so much father...
I blamed this unfair world to took you that early from me but i know this is not how you want me to be.
Father, I will be forever grateful to be your baby girl and you will be my hero forever.
And I will be forever be joyful for the legacy that you left over me believe in hope.
The smile that you kept until the last minute of your life will be always remembered in me.
Love you with all my heart MY FOREVER HERO.
March is my favorite month. Because you were born in this month.
Even though we spent so short time together but for that less than 10 years time you taught me everything. How to love, being grateful always, respect others, trust, and most of all believe in hope no matter how difficult life could be.
Thank you so much for being a great example of all these. You showed me with your life being in the most worst place in the world North Korea.
It's been a biggest blessing and honor to be your baby girl and i will be always graceful to be your baby girl for the rest of my life.
The love you gave me was so big and haven't felt lake of father's love but i'm afraid to admit that sometimes it's so hard for me not to be able to see you again. And it still scares me the fact that I can't hold your warm and gentle hands again... I miss you so much father...
I blamed this unfair world to took you that early from me but i know this is not how you want me to be.
Father, I will be forever grateful to be your baby girl and you will be my hero forever.
And I will be forever be joyful for the legacy that you left over me believe in hope.
The smile that you kept until the last minute of your life will be always remembered in me.
Love you with all my heart MY FOREVER HERO.
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