A human rights activist who escaped oppression in North Korea called US Olympian Gwen Berry “spoiled” for turning her back on the American flag — saying she doesn’t know how good she has it.
Yeonmi Park, who defected from the hermit kingdom in 2007, told “Fox & Friends” Thursday that Berry’s decision to snub the Stars and Stripes as the national anthem played is “unthinkable.”
“In North Korea, people who are actually oppressed don’t even know they’re oppressed,” Park told the outlet.
“The fact that she’s complaining about oppression and systemic racism — she does not understand that she’s so privileged.”
The defector said if Berry committed the same actions in North Korea, she’d be killed.
“If she was North Korean, not only herself will be executed, [also] eight generations of her family can be sent to political prison camp and execution,” Park griped.
Meanwhile, Berry, an outspoken activist for black rights, insisted that her protest during Olympic trials over the weekend doesn’t mean she hates the US.
The athlete said she just has an issue with the national anthem itself because of a reference it makes to slavery and the composer’s ties to the trade.
“If you know your history, you know the full song of the national anthem, the third paragraph speaks to slaves in America, our blood being slain … all over the floor,” Berry told Black News Channel on Monday.
“It’s disrespectful and it does not speak for black Americans. It’s obvious. There’s no question.”
However, Park — who says she was also sold into slavery — disagreed with the two-time Olympic-qualifying hammer thrower.
“The fact that she’s complaining about this country, the most tolerant country, she doesn’t really understand history,” she said.
“I was a slave … I was sold in China in 2007 as a child at 13 years old. The people actually called slavery under Chinese Communist Party in North Korea. There is actual injustice.”
Park added that there are “people dying to come to America at this very moment” and Berry is taking her freedom for granted.
“I just hope they go to North Korea, China and see how humans are being oppressed,” Park said, referring to people who criticize the US.
“And they will truly understand how valuable the freedom that we have is.”