There will be many stories coming out of President Trump’s first State of the Union address. But the story of this brave man may be the most enduring.

During the address, the President and First Lady welcomed numerous guests. These guests are often people they wish to celebrate. People that deserve some attention, perhaps admiration. Often they are veterans or national heroes who distinguished themselves.

But this one person is a symbol of everything good in humanity. He represents our enduring desire for freedom and the great risks some take to achieve it.

No one should be surprised Trump invited him to the event.

From Wall Street Journal:

The sight of North Korean defector Ji Seong-ho hoisting a pair of homemade crutches above his head during extended applause will be one of the enduring images of the 2018 State of the Union address.

The 35-year-old managed to escape the dictatorship in 2006, President Donald Trump explained, even though he’d lost a leg and a hand stealing coal from a train as a teenager…

By the late 1990s, North Korea was one of the world’s biggest recipients of food aid. Mr. Ji said he heard about the donations, but never saw them.

The closest he came was at an illegal market, where he traded a kilogram of corn for a large sack stamped with an unfamiliar logo. He had started stealing coal and wanted the bag to carry his haul. He later learned the bag was once filled with foreign aid…

In 2006, he nearly drowned crossing the Tumen River into China with his younger brother. He eventually made it to South Korea.

Mr. Ji’s mother and sister also made it out.

But Mr. Ji believes his father was captured and tortured to death while trying to flee.

Ji’s story is a powerful reminder of our desire for freedom. It was that very desire that sparked the birth of our country. Today millions of people suffer in nations that deny them freedom. Only once and a while do people like Ji achieve it—even at great cost.

President Trump has focused plenty of attention on North Korea. As the rogue nation threatens us, Trump is making it a greater priority.

It’s no secret he wants to not only denuclearize the nation but even eject its tyrant leader. By welcoming Ji to the SOTU, he is sending a powerful signal to the world about North Korea.

That nation’s oppressive regime might soon come to an end.

At least, Trump is making that an issue of his presidency. Will he become like Reagan, who saw the end of the Soviet Union? Will Trump help unravel the DRNK, reuniting the Korean peninsula?

Some might say it’s impossible. But I wouldn’t bet against Trump.

Source: Wall Street Journal