During the Australia Open, Korea’s new hero Hyeon Chung had been in the media spotlight, but this week another Korean hero, Defector Ji Seong-ho has attracted media attention.
Ji Seong-ho earned a standing ovation from U.S. legislators at President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address when he waved aloft the crutches he had used to escape North Korea after a train ran over his limbs.
In 2006, Mr Ji defected from North Korea, crossed the Duman River and travelled through China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand for almost 10,000 km on crutches, before finally flying to South Korea where he received a prosthetic arm and leg.
He founded the organization NAUH(Now Action & Unity for Human Rights) and initiated various projects geared towards helping North Koreans and preparing for the Korean peninsula’s unification.
Ji Seong-ho, a human rights and disability campaigner, is one of the most vocal critics of the North Korean regime.
