Tina M. Cho
  • Blog
  • About
  • Books
    • Rice from Heaven
    • Korean Celebrations
    • My Breakfast with Jesus
    • The Ocean Calls
  • School Visits
  • Work for Hire Projects
    • Other Writing Credits
  • Resources for Writers
    • Guest Blog Posts I Wrote
Picture

A North Korean Mother's Bittersweet Parent's Day

5/8/2019

8 Comments

 
Picture
I wrote this Dec. 22, 2018, and saved it to publish for Mother's Day.

We enter the small men’s hair salon, and a middle-aged woman with her hair neatly piled up greets us. I give her my humble plate of American Christmas cookies. At first, she doesn’t seem to know what they are until my husband explains again—Merry Christmas.

All smiles, she shares with two other men and another who walks in. “Delicious,” she says in Korean munching on a cookie and half a banana chocolate chip muffin.

After a bit of small talk, we show her a photo of the cover of my book Rice from Heaven. She’s in awe that I participated in this, but she immediately starts talking about how North Koreans have to report if they find anything like this; otherwise, they get watched. So I contemplate if maybe this wasn’t so good, sending balloons over. But the refugees who funded this must know.

This leads to us asking more about her past. She escaped 14 years ago (2004) with a group of twelve, including her teenaged son and a broker leading them. It was winter time, and they covered themselves with some kind of white sheet to not be seen by soldiers. They crossed the river, water up to her chest. But when they got to China, a new broker awaited. When she discovered they would be exploited, she fled. In retaliation, the broker sent her son back to North Korea where he spent time in a concentration camp. He had so little to eat, only kernels of corn. They had to pick cabbages out of a field. They would hide cabbages in the crux of their shirt and nibble on it like rabbits.

She laughs at the image and sound of a rabbit eating. But then her laughter turns to tears as she tells us her son got so cold and lost two toes from hypothermia. Eventually they released him due to his medical condition. After making her way to South Korea via the Asian Underground Railroad, she tried to send him money a couple times, but each time it was confiscated. Of course, he is being watched. So to prevent further complications, she quit communicating with him. It’s been ten years. She misses him. As she weeps, I can feel her ache. She also has a daughter and husband that she left. She grabs my cookies and munches away her stress.

The news shows Korean President Moon Jae In and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. She frowns and lays into the Korean president. “It’s all for show,” she says. As I flip through a women’s magazine, there’s another photo of the two together. I close it. I don’t dare ask what she thinks of Kim Jong Un visiting Seoul, another hot topic in the news.

I feel guilty for prying into her past for an interview. I silently pray that she will be reunited with her loved ones. For now, she seems to be doing well, having just opened her second hair salon in Pyeongtaek. (She used to cut hair in North Korea.)

I walk away with a heavy heart. Sad for her but feeling deeply blessed to have my son at home with me, well and alive, along with my daughter and husband. I ask for her business card. I know it’s not her real name. She shows us her real name on her Korean I.D. The last names at least match. I will pray for Mrs. Sohng.

As I tuck my son in bed, pray and kiss him goodnight, my eyes tear over as I think of Mrs. Sohng and all the women who long for a missed child.
May God reunite families. Tell your children you love them. Who knows when the last time is?  ♥

8 Comments
Natalee
5/8/2019 06:39:30 am

Thank you for sharing this, Tina. I can't even imagine this woman's pain, and so many others...

Reply
Mirka Breen link
5/8/2019 11:17:36 am

Thank you for this post and for the stories you have written about the tragedy of the two Koreas. I am astonished that it continues, seemingly unabated, to tear a people apart. God bless the democratic South Korea for standing firm.

Reply
Jilanne Hoffmann
5/8/2019 11:39:55 am

Thank you for writing about this, Tina. It's so heartbreaking. One can only hope and work for a better future. And not despair.

Reply
Evelyn Christensen link
5/8/2019 11:59:58 am

I appreciate your sharing this, Tina. It's so sad, but it helps me know better how to pray for the people of North Korea.

Reply
Jarm Del Boccio link
5/9/2019 12:23:12 pm

What a story, Tina . . .truly bittersweet. We have no idea what others suffer. Your prayers might work wonders. I hope you will know for sure one day. Thanks for sharing this incredible account. And Happy Mother’s Day to you!💗

Reply
Claire Noland link
5/9/2019 05:57:32 pm

Tina, thank you for sharing this story and putting a face to the struggles of the North Korean people. It is just so hard to understand. We will continue to pray that things will change.

Reply
Annette Whipple link
5/10/2019 10:22:02 am

Real stories help me to understand so much more. Thank you.

Reply
Diane Tulloch link
5/12/2019 07:56:56 pm

Such a bittersweet story Tina. It's stories like this that will help people know of the pain and separation others are still suffering which should not be happening in this day and age. So sad. Bless you for sharing this Tina.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Picture

    Tina M. Cho, children's author

    I'm a children's author and freelance writer for the educational market. Welcome!

    Picture

    Archives

    November 2022
    July 2022
    February 2022
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    Click here to read previous posts at my old blog.

    Categories

    All
    Adria Goetz
    Agent Interview
    Asian American Women In Science
    Asian Festival Of Children's Content
    Audio Book
    Author Brand
    Author Email Signature
    Author Life
    Author Platform
    Author Presentation
    Author Signing
    Author Skypes
    Authors On Social Media
    Author Visits
    Award Winning Book
    BIC
    Book Birthday
    Booklist Review
    Book Query
    Book Reviews
    Books About Diversity
    Books About Inclusion
    Book Signing
    Breakfasts Around The World
    Chapter Book Series
    Children's Day
    Choices Christian Bookstore
    Common Core Book Activities
    Common Core Standards And Nonfiction Text
    Cora Cooks Pancit
    Coronavirus Korea
    Creating Extension Activities For Your Book
    Cynthea Liu's Critiques
    Difference Between Picture Books And Novels
    Different Like Me
    Diverse Books
    Diverse Christian Authors
    Diverse Picture Books
    Diversity
    Dorena Williamson
    Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young
    Faith Based Diverse Picture Books
    Faith-based Diverse Picture Books
    F&Gs
    Filipino Picture Book
    Focused Writing
    Focus Words
    Fonts And Clip Art
    Global Picture Books
    Goals
    Guided Reading Levels
    Haenyeo
    Hans Christian Andersen Award
    Harvest House
    How I Got My Agent
    How To Create An Educational Product
    How To Get An Agent
    How To Land An Agent
    How To Write A Lesson Plan For Your Book
    How To Write A Lyrical Picture Book
    How To Write A Picture Book Biography
    How To Write A Rebus
    How To Write For The Christian Market
    How To Write For The Educational Market
    How To Write Picture Book Activities
    Instagram Live
    Interview Joshua Hawkins
    Interview With Evelyn Christensen
    Interview With Hannah Holt
    Interview With Laura Murray
    Interview With Marie Harris
    Interview With Nancy I. Sanders
    Kibooka
    Kindergarten
    Kirkus Reviews
    Kokila
    Korean Celebrations
    Korean Holidays
    Korea's Independence Movement Day
    Landing A Book Contract
    Lexile
    Literary Christmas
    Little Bee
    Little Free Library
    Martin Literary
    Molly Holt
    Mother's Day
    Multicultural Writing
    My Breakfast With Jesus
    Nami Island
    New Year
    Nonfiction Picture Book Online Class
    North Korea
    North Korean Refugees
    Online Learning
    Own Voices
    Paid Critiques
    Pancit
    Parent's Day
    Piboidmo
    Picture Book Agent
    Picture Book Ideas
    Picture Book Island
    Picture Book Look Podcast
    Picture Book Subtitles
    Picture Book Timeline
    Pottery Barn Kids Instagram
    Preorder
    Professional Critiques
    Proverbs 16:3
    Publisher's Weekly Review
    Representation Matters
    Researching A Biography
    Rice Balloon Project
    Rice Form Heaven
    Rice From Heaven
    Rosemary Wells Lecture
    Scholastic Asian Book Award
    School Visits
    Self-publish E-book
    Social Media For Writers
    South Korea
    South Korea's Holidays
    Summer Activities For Writers
    Summer Author Visits
    Teachers Pay Teachers
    The Celebration Place
    The Girl's Guide To Manners
    The Ocean Calls
    Tuttle Publishing
    Twitter For Writers
    Using Twitter To Promote Books
    Virtual Author Visits
    Why Instagram For Writers
    Why Write Children's Books
    Why Writers Should Be On Social Media
    Word For The Year
    World Read Aloud Day
    Writer's Courage
    Writers In Summer
    Writing About Culture
    Writing A Graphic Novel
    Writing An Endorsement For A Book
    Writing A Novel
    Writing A Subtitle
    Writing Back Matter
    Writing Behaviors
    Writing Conference
    Writing Guided Reading Books
    Writing Picture Books
    Writing Priorities
    Writing Tips
    Xochitl Dixon

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog
  • About
  • Books
    • Rice from Heaven
    • Korean Celebrations
    • My Breakfast with Jesus
    • The Ocean Calls
  • School Visits
  • Work for Hire Projects
    • Other Writing Credits
  • Resources for Writers
    • Guest Blog Posts I Wrote