Every week we ask a North Korean your questions, giving you the chance to learn more about the country we know so little about.

This week’s question is:

Do you have close relatives still in the North? Do you know what happened to them after you left?

I escaped from North Korea in 2011. Now, I lead a life as an independent woman and college student here in South Korea. But my heart aches every time I think about my family in North Korea. I’m the only one in my entire family who left North Korea behind and all of