This segment originally aired Jan. 11, 2016, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.There’s a new kind of social media star in South Korea: North Korean defectors, whose videos get tens of millions of views.
The South Korean capital city of Seoul lies only 30 miles from the North Korean border, but South Koreans, like everyone else, don’t know much about their neighbors to the north. Now, some defectors are becoming internet famous by shedding light on the most mysterious country in the world.There is no internet in North Korea, but many young defectors learn to use social media within a few months.“If I appeared in ordinary media outlets, I’d be edited,” said North Korean defector Eunhee Park, who wants to teach South Koreans about North Korea with the hope of reunifying the countries one day. “So what I needed was a platform that would allow me to talk freely.”