The Other Side of Tomorrow: Author Guest Post by Tina Cho
Author Tina Cho shares the inspiration behind her middle grade historical fiction graphic novel, The Other Side of Tomorrow, illustrated by Deb JJ Lee. Told through poetic text, this graphic novel tells the story of two young North Korean refugees whose lives become intertwined as they make their way toward a better life.
In 2010, my family moved from California to South Korea so my husband could work with his father.
Where we lived, I always knew we were quite close to North Korea. We were always reminded of how close we were to the border from the thousands of U.S. military soldiers present, to seeing guard towers, and even reporting your blood type to your school in case of an invasion. I had a fear in my heart that would escalate whenever North Korean leader Kim Jong Un spoke threats to South Korea, or when the U.S. Embassy would email warnings about the North, or when we heard “North Korean siren drills.” However, my fear was no way close to a North Korean’s fear of living.
Cho's husband and daughter at a replica of a North Korean school.
In churches there, I heard pastors preach sermons about helping North Korean refugees. I’d never really heard much about North Korean refugees before then. I began poking around on the Internet and found that many of their stories hadn’t been told yet. I also learned about the Asian Underground Railroad—a secret network of safehouses that leads out of North Korea and into safer territories.
My husband and I spoke with a pastor who assisted the Asian Underground Railroad, as well as two North Korean boys, and several others who had escaped the communist regime for freedom and food. My mind was floored after learning how little they had and how horrific their escapes were. Some never saw family members again. Some died escaping. Some still hide in China hoping to make it to freedom.
Hearing their sorrowful stories led to empathy, compassion, and activism. I became involved with organizations that assisted the refugees. One was a group of North Korean refugees in Seoul that sent rice in huge hydrogen-filled balloons over the border. That ended up inspiring my first picture book, Rice from Heaven. My family assisted another organization that worked with refugees hiding in China since China repatriates North Korean refugees if they’re discovered. Those who enter China through a broker are sometimes “sold” into slavery or forced to marry, while others are luckier and able to contact helpers of the Asian Underground Railroad and make it to other countries.
My day job is a kindergarten teacher. I want American kids and children around the world to be thankful for what they have and to know the truth—that there are kids who don’t get three meals a day and snacks, have multiple pairs of shoes and clothes, have homes, etc… Instead, some children live in hiding, have to resort to eating things like grass in lieu of a proper meal, and can’t attend school because they have to find scrap metal for their government.
Now starting my 21st year of teaching, I’ve had refugee children in my classroom. I’m able to better empathize and connect with these families and help my students be socially aware of each other and show compassion. I hope those who read our graphic novel will also feel more aware of the realities of North Korea as well as refugees from all other countries under an oppressive regime.
About the Author
Tina Cho is the author of Rice from Heaven: The Secret Mission to Feed North Koreans, Korean Celebrations: Festivals, Holidays and Traditions, My Breakfast with Jesus: Worshipping God Around the World, The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story, and God’s Little Astronomer. Her lyrical middle grade graphic novel, The Other Side of Tomorrow, debuts from HarperAlley in 2024. After living in South Korea for ten years and meeting North Koreans, Tina, her husband, and her two kids reside in Iowa, where Tina also teaches kindergarten.