I was growing up in Hyesan, right by the closest North Korea-China border. China was just across the river: you could see across. So I was curious. On the river, on both sides, you have houses, then mountains. I wanted to know what was on the other side of the Chinese mountains.

When I was growing up, my mum was doing illegal smuggling with China. Sometimes she would see a fortune teller for advice. One time I went with her: 'In your future, you'll be living in foreign country and eating the foreign country rice,' she said.

Certainly in North Korea, man is always superior to woman. Even the government treats women horribly. What is the slogan? Woman is a flower.

Staying in China provided me with the opportunity to adjust to life outside of North Korea and to gain a sense of perspective, most importantly, by learning that so much of what I had been taught about my country was a lie.

It's hard to exaggerate the importance of preserving the financial integrity of Social Security.

What we want to do is guarantee all 4-year-old children in the City of Stamford a prekindergarten experience regardless of their financial circumstances.

We had so many friends who did the band thing, and one of their first moves was to go on tour, and they'd just blow all their money.

Most actors are not rich - they are very poor indeed. What keeps them going is that they just love the job.