A young woman who was forcibly repatriated painted her young son's face on the wall of a political prison camp. Next to it, she wrote a letter that she could not send to him.
Dear my son
I’ll start telling you a story you've never heard before
I escaped from North Korea to China,
where I met your father and gave birth to you
If someone reports me as a North Korean,
I would be deported to North Korea
So, I lived pretending to be a mute
Every day was fear and tension for me
But a neighbour reported me
I was sent to a political prison camp,
leaving you behind as a child
When you grow up, you'll understand
why I had to leave you
why I had to live that
Not seeing you is the most painful torture,
But the hope of seeing you again keeps me alive
Now, I’m on an uncertain journey,
but I dream of freedom coming to us
Even if I die here,
I will pray for freedom coming here