Ji Seong-ho, a North Korea defector who suffered starvation, torture and lost a leg to the brutal regime, stood to thunderous applause as he defiantly held up his old wooden crutches in the House chamber Tuesday night.
Ji Seong-ho, a North Korea defector who suffered starvation, torture and lost a leg to the brutal regime, stood to thunderous applause as he defiantly held up his old wooden crutches in the House chamber Tuesday night.
It was a gesture of defiance of North Korea ’s communist government and one of the most emotional moments of President Trump ’s first State of the Union address.
Mr. Trump called Mr. Ji ’s story “a testament to the yearning of every human soul to live in freedom” as he called for resolve against North Korea and its pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles to threaten the U. S. and its allies.
“Past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation. I will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations that got us into this dangerous position,” the president said.
Mr. Trump also recognized the parents of Otto Warmbier, the University of Virginia student arrest during a visit to North Korea and sentenced to 15 years hard labor for stealing a propaganda poster.
