The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story

Lee writes that in the book, she has changed the names of friends and relatives, and withheld other details, to protect those still in North Korea. Lee’s own name, Hyeonseo Lee, is not her given name, nor is it one of the many names forced on her by circumstance at different times in her life. She chose the name Hyeonseo Lee for herself when she reached freedom. Hyeon means sunshine and Seo means good fortune. Lee explains, “I chose it so that I would live my life in light and warmth, and not return to the shadow” (xi).

Lee’s story is not uncommon among North Korean defectors. She writes:

Leaving North Korea is not like leaving any other country. It is more like leaving another universe. I will never truly be free of its gravity, no matter how far I journey. Even for those who have suffered unimaginably there and have escaped hell, life in the free world can be so challenging that many struggle to come to terms with it and find happiness. A small number of them even give up, and return to live in that dark place, as I was tempted to do, many times (XII).