Many people and organizations advocate for policies and reforms aimed at reducing inequality. But Yeonmi Park, who escaped North Korea, says inequality is not that bad.

In one of her speeches, she says: “Inequality is an amazing thing”.

Before rushing to judgment, consider that Yeonmi Park has not had a normal life. Her perspective is starkly different because of what happened to her.

Park escaped from North Korea with her family in 2007 when she was 13 years old. She experienced the oppressive regime of Kim Jong-un. She was deprived of basic freedom and necessities.

North Korea claims to be a socialist state where all are equal. In fact, North Korea has extreme poverty.

Park experienced food shortages, constant propaganda, and a lack of basic freedoms: to travel, access information or speak out against the government. She saw people being executed for crimes like watching foreign movies or attempting to flee the country.

Yeonmi Park belonged to the country's small elite class because her father worked for the government, but they still experienced significant hardship and deprivation.

Park's father was accused of smuggling and sent to a labor camp when she was just 11 years old.

This was a traumatic event for Park and her family, and they struggled to survive without his support.

In 2007, when Park was 13 years old, she and her mother made the difficult decision to escape from North Korea.

They crossed the border into China, where they experienced a new set of challenges, including human trafficking and exploitation. Eventually, they were able to make their way to South Korea, where they were granted asylum.

After several years in South Korea, in 2014 Park moved to the United States and experienced a whole new world.

Park attended Columbia University in New York where she earned a degree in political science.

Park has been recognized for her activism work. Her numerous awards and honors include the Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent and the North Korea Freedom Award.