New start ... Joseph Kim left North Korea at the age of 16. Picture: YouTube Source: Supplied

The 25-year-old, who was liberated from North Korea at the age of 16 and resettled in the US, lost his father at the age of 12 and his mother and sister went to live in China.

Kim, who has written a book Under the Same Sky: From Starvation in North Korea to Salvation in America, told Reddit users what he was most surprised to learn about the world when he left North Korea.

“The biggest surprise was probably when I was watching TV in China, with the commercials or advertisements for medicine to help you lose weight - that was really something I never expected to see. I think that was the biggest cultural shock,” he wrote.

“Coming to America, probably the biggest shocking moment was how everyone was living different lives.

“I guess one thing would be, for example, going to public parks with family, refreshments and barbecues, lying on the ground — I think that was something I never really imagined. I never had that in North Korea. We never had those kind of things.”

Kim, who has also given talks on his time in North Korea, said he misses his hometown and one thing in particular.

“One thing I do really miss is the pear tree from my backyard,” he said. “Even if I go back to North Korea, which is not going to happen, I won’t be able to say “Oh, this is my home” because most of my family is no longer there. So seeing the pear tree I planted would give me some memories.”

He said Western people don’t have a complete picture of ordinary people in North Korea, because most of the news focuses on darker topics.

When asked how much of what goes on in North Korea is kept secret, he wrote: “A lot. I mean, especially in the West media. So much political conflicts and issues. Just about the leader.

“But I think what we are really missing is that because of heavy subjects, we tend to forget that there are people like myself who have hopes and dreams for a better life. And people who want to be happy.”