Baby Jeannie: Born in America, Hope for North Korea
Jeannie* breathed and moved like she was God’s most delicate creature. We all hunched over the bed, whispering about her eyelids and holding our breath each time they opened. Jeannie was two weeks old. As the child of two North Korean refugees, she’s one of the first few North Korean babies to be born in America. Unlike her parents, freedom of speech, religion and movement were all granted to her as a birthright.
“Your baby is a US citizen,” we whispered. Gloria*, her mother, nodded and smiled. She looked down at the baby and smoothed her black hair with two fingers. “We are very happy,” she answered.
Gloria, her husband Peter* and Jeannie live in a guest room at a friend’s home. Almost 3 years ago, Gloria, Peter and his sister Amy* escaped from North Korea. With LiNK’s assistance in the underground, they reached safety and are now resettled in the States, where Gloria and Peter were married.
The guest room they live in was sparsely furnished. Most of the room’s space was taken by the large bed where Jeannie slept in the middle, framed as the most prized thing in the room. Gloria motioned for us to sit on the floor as she served us a plate of fruit. Her husband was still at work. He was due home at 8:30 pm, over twelve hours after he left this morning.
We ate and chatted with Gloria about Jeannie and her pregnancy while my teammate Pedro snapped photos of the baby to share with friends back at the LiNK office. I noticed a Korean-English bible on the floor beside us. In North Korea, possessing a bible is grounds for lifetime imprisonment.
As it came time for us to leave, Gloria said she wanted to view the pictures on Pedro’s camera. She clicked through, looked up and asked him to delete the ones showing her face: “We still have family in North Korea.” Peter’s brother, she explained, just got out of prison. He was arrested because of their escape. In North Korea, relatives of defectors are punished. Even if a North Korean is safely resettled in a free country, she must be careful that there is no evidence of her escape on the internet or news that the government can use to reprimand her family.
“We’re trying to find a broker,” she said. “I pray so hard for it.” Gloria and Peter want to bring their family out of North Korea. We sensed that this was why Peter was working such long hours. We promised her that we would pray too.
We thanked Gloria and huddled around Jeannie one last time. Gloria unzipped the baby’s blanket pouch, revealing a tiny body that slowly stretched and wriggled. Jeannie, whose parents were born into a horrific condition, was born into great freedom. Like a seed pushed into moist soil, she has the ability to grow and shine and is a seed of hope for the 23 million still in North Korea.
-Chelsea Marcum
*Names have been changed for security concerns.
LiNK also wants to give hope to North Koreans who are still in hiding in the underground. Learn more about TheHundred, LiNK’s new program to bring out 100 North Korean refugees, and see how YOU can directly contribute to this rescue.
