August 12, 2025

#328 - North Korean Escapee Reveals CHILLING Details of his Escape | Hyun-Seung Lee

2 hours 35 minutes

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WATCH PART 1 W/ HYUN-SEUNG LEE: https://open.spotify.com/episode/69c87hJDVHTeFjW0zdl1Cg?si=L-P78bpUTRmlCCzHZTj46Q

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(***TIMESTAMPS in Description Below) ~ Hyun-Seung Lee is a former DPRK businessman and chair of the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League branch in Dalian, China. A series of purges by Kim Jong Un forced him and his entire family to defect in late 2014, making their way first to South Korea then to the United States. Lee now works as a director for One Korea Network and a fellow of North Korean studies at the Global Peace Foundation, and he has interned with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

HYUN-SEUNG'S LINKS:

YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/Pyonghattan

FB: https://www.facebook.com/MrNorthKorea

X: https://x.com/LeeHyunSeung85

IG: https://www.instagram.com/mr.northkorea/

WEBSITE: https://give.globalpeace.org/campaign/695826/donate

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****TIMESTAMPS****

00:00:00 – China & Military Service, Workers Party, Boot Camp, Pride in Serving

00:11:42 – Unit Dispatch, Propaganda, Protecting Leader, Supreme Family Pins

00:23:30 – Camaraderie, Special Forces, Farming, Morse Code, Parade Marching, Mother Singer

00:34:51 – Sister, Banned Words, Pop Star Executions, China-NK Weapons, Troops to Russia

00:46:07 – Weapons & Amm0 to Russia, Discharge, State TV, Propaganda Dept., Leader Focus

00:56:49 – Propaganda with Limited Electricity, The 3rd Channel, 1984 Parallels, Foreign Media, Smuggled USBs, Free Healthcare, Failed Communism

01:07:15 – Bribes for Treatment, Hospital Neglect, COVID D3aths, Post-Service, Studying in China

01:17:12 – Life in China, Father’s Realization, First Hamburger, China’s Progress, Prison Camps

01:27:57 – Killings & Imprisonment, 3-Gen Punishment, Kim Jong Il D3ath, Defection, “No Future”

01:37:35 – Father’s Transition, Defection Help, Escaping NK & China, 24-Hour Notice

01:46:22 – ‘Missing’ Status, Family Leverage, Moving to US

02:00:09 – Leaving South Korea, Arriving US, Living in DC, Leaders Assembly, Fear for Life

02:10:34 – Texas Visit, Guns, Hope for NK, Trump Strategy, Iran Strike Threat, Regime Change

02:23:15 – NK Sympathizers in California, Sanctions Blame, Spirituality in Freedom

02:30:07 – Hyun's Work

CREDITS:

- Host, Editor & Producer: Julian Dorey

- COO, Producer & Editor: Alessi Allaman - https://www.youtube.com/@UCyLKzv5fKxGmVQg3cMJJzyQ

- In-Studio Producer: Joey Deef - https://www.instagram.com/joeydeef/

Julian Dorey Podcast Episode 328 - Hyun-Seung Lee

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