PRESENTATION: Hope - I Don't Pretend to Be Someone I'm Not. Loneliness is not something we choose, but something that is imposed on us. In a world where the silence of wounded souls is the only echo that can be heard, and the deafening noise of a nation in constant surveillance watches every step, I find myself trapped in a life that was imposed on me. The ruthless regime of North Korea, with its rules and absolute control, mixes with the cruelty of a father who sees me not as a daughter, but as a burden to be carried. In a place where pain and humiliation are daily occurrences, a shadow hangs over my every step, and I am the loneliest shadow of all. My name is Hope Kim. I don't know if I'll ever truly believe in the meaning of that word. How can I have hope when all I've ever learned is to survive? Since I was a little girl, I've been shaped by the violence of a man who prides himself on his toughness, and the indifference of a mother who, though she loves me, is incapable of protecting me. Inside me, a fire still burns. It refuses to die, even when the world around me tells me I'm nothing more than a... Every day of my life has been a constant battle. The regime and my father prevent me from covering myself with a facade of strength and seduction, to survive in a system where being a woman is a story in itself. But deep down, my heart cries out for something more. Every night, when I retreat to the little space I have left, I feel the pain of my soul, which cries out for freedom, for dignity, for something that makes me believe that I can be more than I am. And then, the unexpected happened. Two spies from South Korea appeared in my life, fleeing from the government that controls everything they know. They came to me, not knowing that I could be their salvation, and I, not knowing that they could be mine. When I made the decision to open up to them, I was not only challenging a tyrannical system that destroys lives, I was challenging myself. My action was, in a way, a cry of resistance, not only against the regime, but against everything I had experienced up until now. However, what I didn't know was that this decision would change the course of my life in ways I could never have imagined. Among those men was Captain Seung-Jin Park, a man who, as strong and relentless as he was, saw something in me that I couldn't see in myself. He saw something beyond the broken woman I had forced myself to be. He saw a woman who could still fight for something greater, something that transcended fear, pain, and shame. What started as a simple mission turned into something more. An unexpected connection, a friendship that blossomed into something deeper, something I never knew was possible. When I looked at Seung-Jin, I no longer saw just a spy on a mission. I saw a man who, in his purest form, offered me something I never knew I wanted: a chance to be loved, a chance to be respected, a chance to be seen. What I'm sharing with you is not just a story of love and adventure. No, this is a story of redemption, sacrifice, and faith. It's a difficult journey, where the choices we make can either save us or damn us. But it's also a journey that reminds us that even in the darkest moments, grace can blossom. Because if there's one thing I've learned, it's that true freedom comes not just from the absence of external chains, but from the ability to break the chains within ourselves. I am no longer the same woman I was when I entered this story. And by sharing my experience with you, I hope you can also see that change is possible. That even in moments when everything seems lost, there is still room for a new beginning. It may be difficult, it may be painful, but there is always a chance to start over.