The Girl with Seven Names: Chapter 39 Summary & Analysis

Hyeonseo is loaded onto a bus with several other North Koreans and taken to Anseong, in Gyeonggi Province. She soon discovers that true freedom is terrifying, but she vows to make a good life for herself in South Korea. The facility is sparse, but clean, and she is given an allowance for snacks and a phone card. Hyeonseo immediately calls Kim, who is delighted to hear her voice. Next, she calls Ok-hee. Ok-hee arrived on a ferry and was processed much more quickly than Hyeonseo. She is already living in an apartment in Seoul. Then Hyeonseo calls Mother, who tells her about Min-ho’s new girlfriend, a lovely young girl of high songbun. Hyeonseo feels a sting of sadness. She will likely never meet Min-ho’s love.

At the facility, Hyeonseo and the other North Koreans take classes on democracy and their rights, and they are warned about conmen who prey on asylum seekers. She is introduced to a priest and told that many North Koreans embrace the Catholic faith in their freedom. She also attends history classes, where she is taught the truth behind the unprovoked attack of the South that sparked the Korean War. Many of the North Koreans realize their country is bad, but they still find it difficult to accept the truth behind the war. For many, the truth is the “undoing of their lives.”

In order to prevent the formation of North Korean ghettos, the South Korean government spreads asylum seekers throughout the country, and no one gets to choose where they go. Hyeonseo’s hopes to stay in Seoul are dashed when she learns that only 10 out of every 100 people are given housing in Seoul through a lottery system. She is given a number—number 11—and waits to be called. As the officer calls off the numbers selected for housing in Seoul, Hyeonseo is shocked and relieved to hear him call number 11.