Lee Soon-sil, a cooking expert from North Korea, shared her harrowing survival story after defecting and her success story of achieving annual sales of 10 billion won after 18 years, which moved many.
On the 16th, Lee Soon-sil appeared on KBS2's "Let's Live Together with Park Won-sook," where she revealed the hardships she faced during her defection and her challenging journey to success as a culinary researcher.
Lee Soon-sil stated that she decided to defect after enduring a violent marriage in North Korea. However, even after her defection, she became a target for human traffickers in China and confessed that she was sold for 5,000 Chinese yuan. “My daughter was sold for 3,000 yuan right in front of my eyes. I was so shocked that I couldn't say a word while watching the bargaining,” she recalled the horrific situation at that time.
Even after losing her daughter, her hardships continued. “I raised my daughter while begging. When I tried to eat leftover food with my daughter on my back, people pushed me away and chased me off,” she recounted. This experience made her decide to defect, thinking, “No matter how much I live as a beggar, I cannot pass on hunger to my daughter.”
Life was not easy even after moving to South Korea. She started cooking, but in the beginning, she was afraid of the unfamiliar fire and oil, and she suffered from finger injuries. However, she did not give up and immersed herself in cooking, gradually establishing her position through North Korean cuisine. Eventually, she became a successful CEO with annual sales of 10 billion won.
In the broadcast, she stated, “Life kept knocking me down, but because I didn’t give up, I can stand here today,” and added, “I want to continue to bring hope to North Korean defectors through North Korean cuisine.”
On that day’s broadcast, she showcased the dishes she developed, demonstrating her skills as a culinary researcher. The dishes made with various North Korean ingredients received great responses from the other cast members. Hye-eun exclaimed, “Who wouldn’t want to learn if there are such lectures?” and Park Won-sook praised her, saying, “I’m really proud. It’s amazing how you overcame a difficult past and appeared so wonderfully.”
Lee Soon-sil's story goes beyond a simple success story, delivering a message of hope and an attitude of perseverance that deeply moved the viewers.
[Kim Seung-hye, MK Sports Reporter]
