Chanyang joined Freedom Speakers International (FSI) in early 2013 as an English language student. She has been a popular speaker over the years and has appeared in numerous media outlets. She was a guest speaker at FSI’s 6th English Speech Contest and joined FSI’s North Korean Refugee Keynote Speakers Network when it was formed in late 2020.

Chanyang was born in 1991 in Cheongjin, North Hamgyong Province of North Korea. She escaped in 2011, joining her immediate family members who had already escaped to South Korea. North Koreans typically are isolated from the outside world, but from the age of nine, Chanyang secretly listened to overseas radio, learning many things from a young age.