Reporter’s Note
About the author: Ash Abraham
Ash Abraham, Eunice Jeong and Jessie Kim in Seoul, South Korea 2018.
My name is Ash Abraham. Before starting my journalism career, I taught English in South Korea. I was living outside of Seoul when Kim Jong-il died, and when Kim Jong-un assumed the dictatorship. At that time, it was unclear what would happen on the Korean Peninsula. There was hope that Kim Jong-un would not be as brutal as his father. Unfortunately, it soon became evident that the new Supreme Leader would fall in line with the previous dynasty of violence. I heard personal stories of Kim Jong-un’s cruelty through women I met at the North Korean Women’s Resettlement Centre known as the Hanawon. So, I was so excited for an opportunity to return to South Korea years later to document North Korean women’s stories as a journalist.
Ash Abraham taught English in South Korea from 2011-2015. Here with students at recess summer 2014. [Photo © Jordan Weaver]
Ash Abraham. Seoul, South Korea. 2013. [Photo © Alyssa Abraham]
About the interpreter: Eunice Jeong
Eunice Jeong is a professional interpreter based in Seoul, South Korea. She began volunteering at the Hanawon in 2013, and became interested in North Korean related issues. Jeong offers private tutoring and mentorship to newly arrived North Korean refugees.
Eunice Jeong in Seoul, South Korea. [Photo © Ash Abraham]
About the artist: Golbon Moltaji
Golbon Moltaji is a visual artist and a techno DJ currently residing in Tehran, Iran.
She obtained a drawing and painting diploma from Tehran Musical School. In 2012, she obtained a Comic Book Writing certificate from the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto. In 2013, she published a series of comics for Canadian Bureau of International Education.
Golbon Moltaji is a visual artist and techno DJ. [Photo © Golbon Moltaji, used with permission]
