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I led a street gang in North Korea
Sungju Lee fought other children and stole food to survive the streets of North Korea
Sungju Lee was born in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. As a child he idolised the country's communist leaders and dreamed of following his father into the People's Army. But those dreams crumbled very quickly. Sungju's comfortable life was uprooted and he had to confront starvation, homelessness and even death. It all started when his parents told him they were going on a holiday.
Image: Sungju Lee.
Credit: 成人快手.
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The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives