The Courage To Die: A North Korean Woman’s Escape and Rebirth in Freedom

by Eunhee Park

The Courage to Die is the powerful true story of Eunhee Park, the child of divorced parents and a mother lost to mental illness, who endured years of hunger and indoctrination in a North Korean orphanage where survival meant silence.

Raised by her disabled grandfather and strong-willed grandmother, Eunhee faced abandonment, loss, and the rigid control of a totalitarian regime. To escape the regime, she crossed China in a perilous journey that exposed her to sexual abuse, hunger, exhaustion, and the constant threat of death.

Through every ordeal, she clung to the strength and curiosity instilled by her grandparents and transformed unimaginable suffering into courage, compassion, and a determination to tell the truth. Both harrowing and inspiring, her memoir reveals the cost of survival under tyranny and the unbreakable will of a woman who refused to surrender her humanity.

“From darkness to dignity — the courage to die, and be reborn in freedom.”

213 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2025

Reviews

[Nicole Plumley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs to read this book. Such a rare and important story!

As an American, I understand how unbelievably rare and deeply important this book is. Stories like this almost never make it out of North Korea, especially in recent years, which is why this is so incredibly special. This isn’t just a memoir. It shines a painful but necessary light on what North Koreans have lived through and are still living through today. I've read almost all the North Korean defector stories that are out there, but this one is truly special. I especially like how she talked about after finding freedom and how challenging that can be in a free society.

Eunhee, thank YOU from the bottom of my heart for writing this. The courage it takes to relive your pain, your escape, and everything you endured so the world can know the true reality of what many North Koreans go through is beyond words. Your story matters so much- for the North Korean people, our history, future, and for humanity. Your words will live on long after us, and they deserve to!

You are incredibly brave and strong. Your grandparents will watch over you and be so proud. I wish I could hug you and thank you for carrying this story and turning your suffering into light for others!

Everyone needs to read this book. With the DPRK tightening security and advancing technology, recent stories like this are becoming more and more rare, yet so necessary. I hope to see the North Korean people free in my lifetime, and until that day comes, books like this matter more than most realize. Thank you for sharing your story❤️

[Danii McKellar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deeply moving first hand account of the battles and traumas that Eunhee has had to go through and survive just to have a small part of what most of the world has, freedom of choice.

I knew before reading this book that North Korean culture was extremely backwards thinking and dangerous, but I'd never read a first hand account from someone who escaped.

I couldn't read the book all in one sitting, in fact it took me around 4 days in total to read something that my kindle estimated I'd be able to read in 3 hours. Not because the book had anything that was deeply traumatising or anything, although there's definitely some trigger warnings needed for certain parts - but rather because its so thought provoking, I thought about the fact that I take electricity for granted, even now whilst writing this review I'm thinking about how privileged I am to have even the smallest of comforts and that I have never had to worry about my life being taken simply for questioning my way of life.

I live in Scotland and I hope that this book reaches far and wide and that it makes others think about how privileged they are to have the things that they do because there's one word I'd use to describe this book "Thought-provoking".

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eunhee Park is obviously a very brave and intelligent woman based on the stories she tells in this engrossing book. Her life growing up in North Korea is harsh and sometimes grueling to read about, but read we must! Though it was not an easy journey for her, we are so fortunate that she was able to escape to democratic South Korea where she was free to tell her story. If you have already read other defector narratives before, rest assured that this one is different from the others and provides many details that I was unaware of before. Powerful, gripping, and very sad at times, but ultimately hopeful, inspiring, and uplifting!

[Yogy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye opening book offering a fresh insight

The books offers a fresh perspective from a different lens due to the struggles & life of the author being different (not lesser though) than what one reads in similar books on this topic. A good read.
However, at times while reading the book some emotions that the author tried to convey believe were lost in translation into English. Was unable to feel the same emotions that author wanted to communicate through some chapters.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super interesting, there are some issues with writing and repeating, however given her story it is an extremely interesting read.