Yeonmi Park Net Worth, Husband, Early Life & Career

Yeonmi Park is a North Korean defector, author, and activist who escaped from North Korea to China in 2007 at age 13, embarking on a harrowing journey that would eventually transform her into one of the world’s most influential human rights advocates.

Yeonmi Park net worth is estimated to be between $1 million and $2.1 million as of 2025, a testament to her remarkable transformation from a traumatized refugee to a bestselling author and sought-after public speaker. Born on October 4, 1993, in Hyesan, North Korea, Park’s early life was marked by extreme hardship during the country’s devastating famine and her father’s imprisonment.

Who Is Yeonmi Park?

Yeonmi Park is a North Korean defector and human rights activist who escaped from North Korea in 2007 at the age of 13. She fled with her mother across the frozen Yalu River into China, where they faced extreme hardship before eventually reaching South Korea via Mongolia. 

Park has become an internationally recognized speaker and advocate, sharing her experiences of oppression, starvation, and survival under the North Korean regime. She authored the memoir “In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom” in 2015, which became a bestseller. Park now lives in the United States and continues to speak globally about human rights abuses in North Korea and the importance of freedom.

Yeonmi Park Family And Early Life

Yeonmi Park was born on October 4, 1993, in Hyesan, North Korea, near the Chinese border. Her father, Park Jin-sik, was a civil servant who later became involved in black market trading to support the family, which led to his imprisonment and torture by North Korean authorities. 

Her mother, Keum Sook Byeon, worked various jobs to help the family survive during the severe famine of the 1990s that killed millions of North Koreans. Park has an older sister named Eunmi (also called Yeonah), who escaped to China separately in 2007 and was later reunited with the family in South Korea. Growing up, 

Park’s family faced extreme poverty and hunger, and she witnessed the harsh realities of the totalitarian regime from a young age, including public executions and the death of a close friend from starvation. 

Her father’s illegal trading activities, undertaken to feed the family, eventually resulted in his arrest and torture in labor camps, which severely damaged his health. These experiences of oppression, poverty, and her father’s persecution ultimately drove the family to risk everything to escape North Korea in search of freedom and survival.

Yeonmi Park Education 

Yeonmi Park received minimal formal education in North Korea due to the oppressive regime and extreme poverty conditions. After escaping to South Korea, she attended Dongguk University in Seoul to study criminal justice. 

When she moved to the United States in 2014, she initially attended classes at Barnard College before being accepted to Columbia University School of General Studies, where she started in 2016. 

Park graduated from Columbia in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Her time at Columbia became notable not only for her academic achievement but also for her controversial criticisms of what she perceived as political correctness and lack of intellectual freedom at the Ivy League institution, which she later detailed in her second book and numerous public speeches.

Yeonmi Park Career

Yeonmi Park’s career began in 2011 when she appeared on the South Korean TV show “Now On My Way to Meet You,” but she gained global recognition after her speech at the 2014 One Young World Summit garnered over 82 million views. 

She published her bestselling memoir “In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom” in 2015, which has sold over 100,000 copies, followed by her second book “While Time Remains” in 2023. Park serves as a director at the Human Rights Foundation and has become a leading voice for oppressed people worldwide through her writing and speaking. 

She has delivered speeches at prestigious forums including TED Talks, the Oslo Freedom Forum, and universities across the United States, earning recognition as one of BBC’s “Top Global Women.” In recent years, Park has established herself as a conservative political commentator in American media, appearing on major networks and podcasts, while also running a successful YouTube channel called “Voice of North Korea by Yeonmi Park” with over one million subscribers. 

She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2021 and continues to advocate for human rights, speak against authoritarianism, and support other North Korean defectors through her various platforms and partnerships with organizations dedicated to freedom and human rights.

Who Is Yeonmi Park Husband?

Yeonmi Park was married to an American man named Ezekiel, whom she wed on January 4, 2017, after settling in the United States. The couple welcomed a son named James, born on March 18, 2018, which Yeonmi described as a miraculous moment given her traumatic childhood and fears she might never survive to become a mother. 

Their marriage lasted approximately three to four years before they separated, with Yeonmi confirming their divorce during a YouTube livestream on January 30, 2021. While she did not provide detailed reasons for the separation, she indicated it was respectful and that both remained committed to co-parenting their son.

About Yeonmi Park Son

Yeonmi Park’s son, James, was born on March 18, 2018, during her marriage to Ezekiel. Yeonmi described his birth as miraculous, expressing gratitude after surviving starvation to become a mother. She was studying at Columbia University when she became pregnant and took a break from her studies to focus on raising him. 

As of December 2025, James is seven years old and living with his mother in New York City. Park has shared that James studies hours of math and reading comprehension each day and has overcome significant learning challenges. 

Yeonmi Park Height, Age And Weight

Yeonmi Park was born on October 4, 1993, making her 31 years old as of December 2025. She stands 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 meters) tall, which is slightly below average height for American women but typical for Korean women. Park weighs around 54 kg (114 lbs) and maintains a slim, petite build that is often noted during her public speaking appearances. 

Despite her relatively small physical stature, she commands a powerful presence on stage when delivering speeches at international forums and events. Her healthy appearance today reflects improved nutrition and healthcare access since leaving North Korea, where malnutrition historically affected growth patterns. 

How Do Yeonmi Park Book?

To book Yeonmi Park for a speaking engagement, you can contact professional speaker booking agencies that represent her. Her speaking fee typically ranges from $20,000 to $30,000, with the lower end for virtual engagements and the higher end for in-person events in the US. Several agencies handle her bookings, including AAE Speakers Bureau (1-800-698-2536), 

Gotham Artists, All American Speakers Bureau, and SpeakerBookingAgency (1-888-752-5831). To begin the booking process, you should contact one of these agencies through their websites or phone numbers, complete their booking request form with your event details (date, location, type of event, audience size), and request availability and pricing information. The agencies will then work with you to check her schedule, negotiate fees, and coordinate all logistics for the engagement.

What Is Yeonmi Park Net Worth?

Yeonmi Park’s estimated net worth as of 2024-2025 ranges between $1 million and $2.1 million, according to various financial sources. Her book deal with Penguin Publishing for “In Order to Live” was worth $1.1 million, and her speaking fees range from $12,500 to $17,500 per engagement. 

Park’s wealth comes from multiple income streams including book sales from her bestselling memoirs, lucrative speaking engagements at universities and international forums, her successful YouTube channel “Voice of North Korea by Yeonmi Park” with over one million subscribers, and media appearances on major networks. She also earns a monthly income of $6,600 from her work with Turning Point USA. 

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Conclusion

Yeonmi Park’s journey from North Korean defector to influential activist emphasizes the power of resilience and advocacy. Yeonmi Park’s net worth, ranging between $1-2 million, reflects not just financial achievement but the global impact of her unwavering commitment to human rights.

Through her bestselling memoir, international speaking engagements earning between $12,500 and $17,500 per appearance, and her successful YouTube channel with over one million subscribers, Park has transformed her trauma into a platform for change. Despite personal challenges, including her divorce from husband Ezekiel in 2020 and the responsibilities of single motherhood, she continues to be a powerful voice against tyranny.

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