Joseph was born into a working class family as the youngest son in a large family. His father made a living as a factory worker while his mother stayed to take care of the children. Growing up, Joseph knew little of the outside world. After reading Robinson Crusoe at the age of 13, Joseph dreamed of becoming the captain of a trading ship and traveling the world. However, during high school he realized he would not be able to realize his dream in North Korea due to his status within the hierarchal society that rewards loyalty and patriotic action dating back to the Anti-Japanese Korean Independence movement and Korean War.
As Joseph grew older, he saw tragedies unfold as North Korea was stricken by a wide spread famine. Approximately, two million people died of starvation in the span of a few years. People were left to fend for themselves as political elites received their portion. Driven by hunger, Joseph began to trade in the black market. He frequently traveled to all ends of North Korea trading foreign goods for food. As he traveled around the country, his eyes were opened as he saw the lifeless bodies lay alongside the roads and the trains. In that moment, he knew that there had to be more than the kind of future that was before him. He then made a decision to leave his country. To protect his family, he left without saying his good-byes.
Joseph made it safely to China in 1999 and worked for several years before being able to escape China. He worked as a shepherd for a year while studying Chinese language secretly so that he could survive on his own. After that he worked in a smuggling organization that would move Japanese cars illegally from North Korea to China. He also worked as a hotel manager for three years. However, Joseph realized his status in China was too dangerous and as he could be repatriated if caught by the Chinese police and face severe punishment. In 2003 he began to use the internet to ask for assistance internationally to aid workers that would help him get out of China safely and it was through one of these contacts that he was able to escape.
Today, Joseph is actively working to prepare for the reunification of Korea through entrepreneurship. He hopes to develop North Korea through business and trade, using inclusive business models, so North Korean people and communities can be productive and prepared for reunification. Inspired by the Mondragon Cooperative in Spain, he hopes to implement similar concepts while working with international community for the development of North Korea. Currently, Joseph is also producing a documentary on North Korean defectors lives in South Korea.
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