This case study examined one female university-level North Korean defector’s (NKD) identity construction as an English language learner. Grounded in positioning theory, this study aimed to illustrate the modes of positioning the participant took up in different English language learning contexts and their influences on her English learning practices. Data were collected from multiple resources including interviews, reflection notes, and class observation. Qualitative data analysis revealed that the participant positioned herself differently in each English learning setting and displayed different attitudes and participatory behaviors in accordance with the positions she took up. In this process, she was able to reshape her mindset toward English learning as her first order positioning was continuously questioned. She actively took advantage of her role as a student in an effort to adapt to the environment she was exposed to, but her personal traits and perception of the self-other relationship also had a strong influence on her English learning practices. Pedagogical suggestions are offered that may make English education better suited for NKDs’ various needs.