Newtown Journalist Chronicles Teens’ Escape To A New World

By Larissa Lytwyn

Malnourished, socially isolated, and economically crippled, between 200,000 to 300,000 North Korean teens attempt to cross the treacherous Chinese mountainside each year to prosperous neighbor South Korea; only about 2,000 make it.

Laura McClure, associate editor of Current Events, a subsidiary of Weekly Reader, recently chronicled the journeys of the North Korean teens that have made it.

“I traveled to Seoul, South Korea, for a week last summer, staying with my friend [former University of Pennsylvania roommate Yumi Kim), who is fluent in English, Japanese, and Korean,” the 1997 Newtown High School graduate said. “She served as a translator for me. Talking to the [North Korean] kids really touched my heart. I learned a lot.”

Several months ago, Ms McClure said, she was brainstorming ideas with staff members for a Current Events “special report.” North Korea’s threat of having nuclear warheads was dominating headlines. It was a part of the world most Americans know little about and an area Ms McClure was eager to explore.

“South Korea is very modern,” she said. She recalls being able to check her email in department stores and cafes. “The streets are very wide,” she said, “lots of traffic.” The flourishing city is replete with stores carrying the latest fashions. “There are also a lot of open air markets,” she remarked, “and malls where women can have everything in front of them, from shoes to clothes.”

American retailers including McDonald’s have also become commonplace in South Korea.

“One of the coolest parts of my trip was visiting the Demilitarized Zone [DMZ],” Ms McClure said, referring to the border separating North and South Korea. Tour groups must observe strict dress codes, too. “The tour guide wanted to make sure we presented a good image to the North Koreans who saw us during the tour,” she says in her report entitled, “Nothing Left to Lose.”

Her article traces the construction of the DMZ following the Korean War (1950–1953) to create a buffer against further violence. North Korea’s communist leadership isolated the country further while South Koreans pursued a democracy-styled form of government.

She changed the names of the two North Korean refugees, ages 15 and 18, who were the primary subjects of her report. She also made sure she did not release nor take any photographs of them to ensure their anonymity. The teens now live with South Korean relatives, attending school and, as one teen put it, “eating well.”

A mid-1990s famine worsened conditions in North Korea, leading to rampant malnutrition. The teens Ms McClure spoke with often stayed home, too sick and week to attend school. In South Korea, the same teens participate in the country’s vigorous academic setting with fervor. They take academic after-school programs common in South Korea to further student advancement.

Despite their 50-year separation, Ms McClure said, most South Koreans view North Koreans as their “brethren.”

“I would love to go back to Seoul,” she said. Working at Current Events, based in Stamford, has been a wonderful experience. Writing for a young age group, she says, allows her writing to be a little more fun. “Reporters are supposed to write on a sixth-grade level [anyway],” she said.

Ms McClure was first drawn to the journalism field in high school, serving as editor of the school newspaper, the Nighthawk. “I have always loved to write!” she said.

She did a number of internships while pursuing journalism at the University of Pennsylvania, including working days as a Weekly Reader intern and evenings at the Stamford Advocate. After interning at Weekly Reader, she was offered a position as associate editor of Current Events.

“I’ve been here for a little over a year now, and I love it!” she said. “I plan to move to Stamford soon [to be closer to work].”

Ms McClure’s report, “Nothing Left to Lose,” is available online at www.weeklyreader.com/ce.