PART 6
Comparing North and South
[Introduction]
When I visited North Korea, I was not surprised to see that a lot of people’s mannerisms, expressions, and ways of thinking reminded me intensely of South Korea. Foreign visitors to either Korea are endlessly told of Korea’s 5,000-year history, and seen in that context, the seven-decade division of the country is not such a great length of time. Plenty has changed, of course, but the underlying characteristics remain the same.
In almost all ways, North Korea today is a much less successful country than South Korea. It made me sad to see people I recognized as Korean—from a culture I’ve come to love over the seven years or so I’ve spent in the South—living such tough, impoverished lives. Per capita income in North Korea is roughly 3% of that across the DMZ.
It is commonly said that defectors from the North will be one of the “keys” to reunification. They are the only group of people who can truly understand Korean as it is spoken in both states. (As you will see in this chapter, North Koreans and South Koreans have diverged quite a lot.) The defectors are also the only group of people who have a full understanding of both societies as they are today, and as such, they will be a bridge between the two in the event of a major political change.
That said, defectors do not necessarily have easy lives in the South. Increasingly, Southerners view North Koreans as foreigners, and worse still, poor foreigners—economic migrants, even. North Korean women are sometimes even treated as mail order brides; one can see adverts by marriage agencies offering this, proclaiming namnam-buknyeo, an old pre-division saying to the effect that the best men are from the south of the peninsula, and the best women are from the north.
Lacking a South Korean education, defectors also find it hard to get decent jobs. On a few occasions I have seen North Koreans doing casual work at restaurants, for instance, and then heard customers talking about them behind their back.
How different are the versions of Korean spoken in the North and the South?
DT: In South Korea, I can probably understand about 70–80 percent of what people say, what is written in newspapers, and so on. When I went to North Korea though, I understood less than half. That’s because there are real differences between North Korean and South Korean. Certain words, such as Geonbae (“cheers”), will instantly produce a response like, “That’s what they say in the South!” (In the North, the word is Chukbae). For those used to the South, North Korean generally feels a little old-school—Korean as it used to be spoken, uncorrupted by the myriad loan words that South Koreans use.
Kim Yoo-sung:
North and South Koreans use a common language, Korean, and the same writing system, Hangeul.
However, more than half a century has passed since Korea was divided. Since the two Koreas have been separated for so long, the way South Koreans speak and write greatly differs from the way North Koreans do.
Following the end of the Japanese occupation in 1945, Korea was divided into two countries under different governments and ideologies. While South Koreans can freely travel to other countries, there is one place on earth they aren’t allowed to visit—North Korea. While South Koreans were allowed to consume popular culture from places such as the United States and Western Europe, they weren’t allowed to watch movies, listen to songs or read books from North Korea.
This long separation has resulted in a number of differences. First, North and South Korea have different ways of spelling. For example, the “r” sound can come at the beginning of a word in North Korean. However, the “r” sound can never come at the beginning of a word in South Korean. One notable example is the word ryori/yori, which could be translated as “cooking” in English. Therefore, it’s ryori in North Korean but yori in South Korean. This is just one example. Think of it as being like the difference between American and British ways of spelling.
Second, North Koreans and South Koreans speak with different accents and intonation. Actually, North Koreans and South Koreans already spoke with different accents before the Korean War. In fact, different accents and dialects exist just within South Korea. So, it’s not surprising that North Koreans and South Koreans speak with different accents, right?
Think of it this way: In the United States, northerners speak with a different accent from southerners. Americans, Canadians, British, Australians and New Zealanders speak a common language, English, but they speak with different accents. Koreans living in the northern part of Korea speak with a different accent to Koreans living in the south.
Third, the South Korean language has an abundance of slang and abbreviations that North Koreans can’t understand. The younger generation in South Korea gets these from the Internet and instant messaging. Slang is made up of words that have come into use recently, so it’s no surprise that North Koreans who have newly arrived in South Korea have a hard time understanding South Korean slang.
Lastly, the most striking difference between North Korean and South Korean is the existence of loanwords. South Koreans have borrowed many words from the English language. Also, South Koreans still use words made from Chinese characters, while the North changed those words to pure Korean ones. The North Korean government has continuously made efforts to get rid of words influenced by foreign languages and change them to pure Korean words. When South Koreans read or hear those words, they can’t understand them at all.
There are many English words that have been taken into the South Korean language, such as “shower,” “cafe,” “radio,” “hairdryer” and so on. North Koreans have made extra efforts to “purify” their language and thus haven’t adopted any words from English. However, despite these efforts at purification, there are some North Korean words that sound similar to English ones, but were actually acquired through Russian. For example, “group” is group in South Korean. But, it’s groupa in North Korean. “Tractor” is tractor in South Korean, while it is trak-tor in North Korean.
Such striking differences will be an obstacle to communication between North and South Koreans. There are other things to be taken care of before the unification of Korea, but such differences in the languages of the two Koreas should definitely be given careful consideration.
Is it true that there’s no tteokbokki [the ubiquitious South Korean street snack composed of rice cakes in spicy sauce] in North Korea? What kinds of street food do exist in North Korea?
DT: If you’ve been to South Korea, you’ll be able to appreciate the significance of this question. Street food is a big deal there, and the king of street foods is tteokbokki. It would seem strange to me to walk around a city full of signs written in hangul and not see tteokbokki on sale somewhere.
Kim Yoo-sung:
Tteokbokki does not exist in North Korea. Before I came to South Korea, I had never heard of such a thing. Only after I came to South Korea did I see tteokbokki for the first time.
When I finally tasted it, I couldn’t understand why it was such a popular street food and why people would enjoy eating it. It was very different from the kinds of food I was used to. But as I got used to South Korean food day by day, I grew to like tteokbokki so much. Now I must admit that I’ve become a big fan.
Near my home in South Korea, there is a very famous tteokbokki restaurant. My wife and I go there at least once a week. That’s how much we enjoy eating tteokbokki these days. Our daughter was recently born, and we can’t wait to take her with us on our weekly visit. I’m sure our daughter will grow up to like tteokbokki just as much as me and my wife, when she’s big enough to eat it.
If you haven’t tried tteokbokki yet and just looked at pictures of it, you’d probably wonder if it would be delicious at all. But let me assure you: It is one of the best street foods I have ever had.
The tteok in tteokbokki refers to the rice cake, its main ingredient. Tteok is very sticky and tasty itself, but when chili pepper paste (gochujang) is added, the dish has a richer, spicy and sweet flavor. People who love tteokbokki do so because it’s spicy and sweet at the same time. Tteokbokki is my comfort food: When I eat it, it seems to relieve my stress right away. Do you know what’s even better? If you eat tteokbokki with a bowl of hot soup, it tastes heavenly.
Other kinds of South Korean street food, such as hotteok and odeng, do not exist in North Korea either. I have never seen them there. Instead, there are other kinds of street food in North Korea: Injo gogi bap (artificial meat rice), tofu bap (rice) and soondae (Korean traditional sausages).
The most popular street food in North Korea is injo gogi bap. It is as commonly found in the streets as tteokbokki is on the streets of South Korea. The term injo gogi may sound strange to most South Koreans. But injo gogi would be called soy sausage in South Korea and Western countries. The period from 1995–1999 was the hardest time for all North Koreans, as they were affected by economic difficulties. Remember the Great Famine? During this time, North Koreans didn’t let any food go to waste. People used leftover soybeans and turned them into soy sausages. This became popular all over North Korea. At first glance, these soy sausages, called injo gogi, look like odeng in South Korea. People stuff injo gogi with rice and spicy sauce. This became a delicacy and a popular dish in North Korea. I often saw people eating injo gogi, tofu bap and soondae at street kiosks when I was living in North Korea.
After I arrived in South Korea, I saw that street food also exists in the South. But street foods in South Korea are nothing like what I saw in North Korea. Among South Korean street foods, tteokbokki and hotteok are my favorites. I eat both pretty often. But odeng … I don’t enjoy eating it just yet. But who knows? I never thought I would like tteokbokki when I first arrived in South Korea. Now, I love it so much that I eat it every week. Someday, I may like odeng just as much as I love tteokbokki.
When Korea becomes unified, I bet South Korean street foods such as tteokbokki, hotteok and odeng will appeal to North Koreans. And, of course, South Koreans don’t know North Korean street foods such as injo gogi bap and tofu bap. I look forward to the day when Korea becomes one country again and Koreans from both sides of the country can enjoy these street foods with each other.
Do North Koreans listen to K-pop?
DT: South Korean pop music is absolutely huge in China, Thailand, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and many other places. K-pop is slick, its performers having perfected their dance moves and voices through years of training, and their appearances through years of workouts, makeovers, and plastic surgery procedures. North Korean pop singers are also well-trained, but in that boring socialist/militaristic way—they sing about being good citizens, and how wonderful Kim Jong Il or Kim Jong Un are. In a straight match-up between South and North Korean pop music, there’s no way that young North Koreans would choose the latter. And many are finding ways to access K-pop.
Je Son Lee:
I have heard that there has been a growing interest in K-pop idol groups such as Girls’ Generation in North Korea recently. However, there was little interest in such K-pop idol groups prior to 2012. K-pop idol groups look stunningly glamorous and beautiful. They’re often featured in flashy video clips, as well. But I think that North Koreans are very sentimental people, so, they pay more attention to the lyrics and voice of singers. They think lyrics and the voices of singers are far more important than appearance.
Also, North Koreans were born and raised in a very patriarchal society. K-pop idol groups are mainly teenagers clad in skimpy clothes and North Koreans find this socially unacceptable. In North Korea, people who can afford to watch video clips from South Korea and other countries are the ones with money. Hence, it is mostly adults who can afford to consume K-pop culture. Teenagers aren’t likely to have enough money to consume whatever they like, unless their parents are affluent, high-ranking officials.
When watching the South Korean dramas or movies, adults and teenagers react to the same scenes differently. Grownups like scenes such as when the male character donates his corneas to the female lead, or when the two of them get married right before the death of the female lead. If you have watched this particular K-drama, you probably know which scenes I’m talking about.
Teenagers pay more attention to the amusement park (Seoul’s Lotte World) featured in the drama. They are far more interested in the fashion style of the main characters—jeans and short skirts, etc.
When it came to the background music of this K-drama, grownups like “Kal-muri,” sung by the famous trot singer Na Hoon-a. Teenagers like the song “Bogoshipda (I Miss You)” by Kim Bumsoo. It doesn’t mean that teenagers don’t like the trot song “Kalmuri,” but they do prefer the latter.
The grown-ups, though, don’t like “Bogoshipda” at all. They say it sounds like a poem, not a song. Also, they never like the fashions shown in South Korean dramas. Adults often criticize the miniskirts and skimpy clothes worn in them. Still, they are crazy about those South Korean dramas because they like the storylines so much.
North Korean dramas and movies are all about making sacrifices for the leader. Even if the main character dies in the movie, they died for our leader. Yet in South Korean dramas, people make sacrifices for someone they love. This was fresh and shocking to most North Koreans. Likewise, South Korean dramas are more realistic and down-to-earth. This is why grownups love watching them, even though they don’t like the skimpy clothes! Teenagers and children love the storylines, too. But they also love copying the Seoul accent, as spoken in K-dramas.
“Bathroom” is wisaengshil in North Korean but hwajangshil in South Korean. Due to the popularity of South Korean dramas, the younger generation of North Koreans has begun to use the South Korean term. They adopt new words and new culture from South Korea more quickly than adults. It is possible that K-pop idol groups may have gotten more popular in the North by now.
But up until 2012, people didn’t feel comfortable about any of those recent South Korean songs. They preferred old songs to new hits from idol groups. In 2012, the most popular South Korean songs among North Koreans included old K-pop such as “Friend,” “Private’s Letter” and “For Love.” Later on, when the South Korean drama Sweet 18 became popular in the North, South Korean singer Chang Nara, who sang on the soundtrack, attracted much attention from North Korean viewers.
I’m not sure how the K-pop scene has changed since I left North Korea. But I can tell you that those singers and their songs were popular among North Koreans while I was there. In my case, my favorite K-pop song was “Like Being Shot by a Bullet,” by Baek Ji-young. But since my mom didn’t like that song, I couldn’t sing it at home. One thing is for certain: The taste of the young generation in North Korea is very wide and diverse. You never know, North Korea’s teenagers might be dancing to EXID’s “Up & Down” at this very moment.
What did you think about South Koreans when you were in the North?
DT: Every week, the North Korean government conducts kangyeonhwe, or lectures, that disparage the South. Some North Koreans may believe such propaganda wholeheartedly, but most of them take it in one ear and let it out of the other. Where the lectures portray the South as evil and impoverished, some North Koreans see evidence to the contrary in the form of the food, fertilizers and medicines that come from the South. As a result, many North Koreans know that the South is wealthy, and feel envious. Strict North Korean laws keep them from expressing any such knowledge and feelings about the South, however. Lots of information about South Korea has become available and made many North Koreans change their image of the South, so in general, positive feelings about the South outnumber the negative. I also believe that the growing positive image of the South is causing more North Koreans to defect.
Jae Young Kim:
Those who live near the border with China know a lot about South Korea. Information about South Korea flows in along with the Chinese products, video and radios that are smuggled into North Korea. Many South Korean TV programs are also smuggled in video file form, and surprise the North Koreans, who obtain and watch them secretly. However, people in areas far from the border do not know much about South Korea. A North Korean who became a friend of mine during the process of escaping from North Korea told me he only learned about South Korea after arriving in China. People in most inland areas do not have much access to transportation or outside communication, and receive ideological education through state TV, the North Korean government’s propaganda tool. As a result, information about South Korea cannot reach them, even through word of mouth.
I was in high school when I was first exposed to news about South Korea. I went to visit my uncle’s home, where I watched a South Korean TV drama called “The Staircase to Heaven.” It was the first time ever I saw a South Korean drama, and I was very surprised. I could feel for the first time that South Koreans were living much better than us. It was shocking to see that young South Koreans of about the same age as me were living a completely different lifestyle. The sophisticated atmosphere of the city streets and the actors and actresses shown in the drama were enough to excite me. I was so saddened by the heroine’s death in the drama that I had a mild case of depression for three days, and my heart pounded a bit when I saw the male lead. It was such an unforgettable experience that I searched for that same drama as soon as I arrived in South Korea.
That first experience opened my eyes to South Korea and kindled my curiosity. I began listening to South Korean radio broadcasts. I was able to pick up Chinese and South Korean radio channels where I lived. My parents tried their best to stop me from doing so for fear of getting caught, but I was magnetically drawn to South Korean radio news, even though it all began through simple curiosity. I still remember it so vividly; every night after 10 p.m. I would take out the matchstick that was put into the radio in order to block foreign channels, and listen to them at low volume, all the while looking out to see if my parents were watching me. The hassle of having to put back the matchstick into the radio during the daytime was nowhere near enough to dampen my curiosity.
I had to ensure the security of our home before I listened to the radio. All lights had to be turned out, all the curtains had to be drawn, and the radio volume could not be louder than the whisper of an ant. An occasional barking of a neighbor’s dog would cause my heart to drop to the floor and my eyes to double in size. It was like something from a movie. Radio sounds were clearer on cloudy days. I was so taken by these accents that were so different from ours that I even tried to repeat words in a Seoul accent, all at a very low, barely audible level.
What caught my ears especially in those days was the news. Unlike North Korean news, South Korean news discussed events happening in real time. It also included news about various food and medical supplies that were being sent to North Korea as aid. I was confused for a while when I realized that South Korea and America were sending aid to North Korea; that was so different from what the government was telling us. I began wondering who was telling the truth. Meanwhile, I also enjoyed writing down the lyrics of songs, and singing along. Once, my parents even joined me and sang along.
What did you think when you saw election campaigns in South Korea?
DT: According the The Economist’s Democracy Index and many other measures, North Korea is the least democratic country in the world. Meanwhile South Korea has recently shown itself to be one of the world’s most robust democracies, as the events surrounding the downfall of former president Park Geun-hye in late 2016 and early 2017 demonstrate. The difference between the two Koreas is jarring, and so it is surely interesting to ask what a North Korean arrival to the South might make of that great symbol of democracy, the election.
Je Son Lee:
Election campaigning doesn’t exist in North Korea. So, when I witnessed election campaigning with my own eyes for the first time in South Korea, I didn’t understand what they were doing. Candidates and their supporters made so much of an effort to speak to people on the streets. These people distributed the candidate’s business cards and flyers to passersby. When I witnessed all of this for the first time, I thought, these people have too much time on their hands, don’t they? At that time, I didn’t know anything about the role of politicians, or what kind of power they could exercise.
In North Korea, politicians are nothing more than puppets for the regime. Of course, top officials in the Supreme People’s Committee may exercise limited political power while closely assisting Kim Jong Un. Apart from these top officials, the people chosen to serve on most provincial committees in the DPRK are puppets. They don’t exercise any political power. Nor can they “motion” for or oppose any legislation.
More importantly, they don’t have any competition, either. Once they become a candidate, they automatically get elected. That means they don’t need to go out in the streets to beg citizens for votes. After all, there’s no need to take any time and effort to campaign. Once the Workers’ Party of Korea appoints you to be a candidate for your district in the upcoming election, you’re going to be elected 99.9 percent of the time.
If you’re a North Korean with political ambition, all you need to do is to win the hearts of top officials at the Workers’ Party, not the voters. You shower the top party official with extravagant presents and money in order to be nominated. Even if you succeed in becoming a member of the committee, which is the legislative body, there’s nothing you can change about the way North Korea is. So, if anyone wants to invest in bribery just for the nomination, that probably means they’re just out for fame. They just want to brag about the fact that they’re “honorable” committee members.
These are normally the kind of people who don’t even possess basic qualifications to be a good politician. They just want the status. Of course, I’m sure that not all committee members are pompous or arrogant. But, at least those who I met wanted to brag about it. That’s all I knew about politics back in North Korea.
When I witnessed the election campaign in South Korea for the first time, I was blown away. Everything they did looked so crazy to me! At first, I didn’t understand why they were pouring so much money into their campaigns. I thought, why don’t they spend that money on the elderly and other people living in poverty? However, after I began to understand more about the election process, I learned that not all these candidates get elected. They have to compete with others. That’s why they were spending so much money. But what caught my attention was a list of policies they pledged to carry out once elected. I believed they would carry them out, but it didn’t take me long to realize that they were all false promises. I don’t know if these politicians are bad for being pathetic liars, or whether it’s my fault for believing them in the first place.
It left me in complete shock. I became confused. It crossed my mind that South Korea’s election system could be more dangerous than North Korea’s. In the North, no matter who gets elected, they’re given no political power. Therefore, they cannot implement any laws or regulations that could put people in danger.
However, people in South Korea have freedom of speech and can express their political stance and opinions freely. It is an amazing thing that South Koreans can vote for whoever they want. No one forces them to vote for a particular candidate.
When an election comes up, I do wonder who I should vote for. I’m still not knowledgeable about the electoral system, the role of politicians, or what the candidates are like. Some people vote for the political party the candidate represents. Others vote for candidates based on their capabilities, even if they don’t necessarily endorse the candidate’s party. Either way, one needs to take an interest in politics.
But South Korea’s election campaign looks too extravagant and luxurious to me. It looks like they’re all spending way too much money.
How do South Koreans react when you tell them you’re from North Korea?
DT: I have a few North Korean acquaintances in South Korea, and generally, they will say they feel discriminated against by South Koreans. If they are sat in a restaurant and speak to each other in North Korean accents, people sat at nearby tables will stare, or start talking about North Korea themselves. Some older people even consider North Korean defectors as potential spies. That said, I doubt that most regret coming to the South.
Kim Yoo-sung:
When my family escaped from North Korea, our intended destination was America, not South Korea. The reason we initially chose to immigrate to America was because we received help from an American civic group called LiNK (Liberty in North Korea). At the time my family left North Korea, it cost about US$3,000 to get one person out and bring them to the immigration office in Thailand. So, it cost approximately US$9,000 for the three members of my family to escape from North Korea. Even when I was arrested by the Chinese authorities, this American civic group paid to rescue me from the Chinese detention center.
For these reasons, I’m still thankful for all the Americans who helped me. I think they literally saved my life. I’m opening with this story because, if I could turn back time, I would choose to immigrate to America instead of South Korea.
I’ve now been living in South Korea for over six years. Most South Koreans treat North Koreans with prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination. Within the first month of arriving in South Korea, I got a part-time job at a company that made small parts for smart-phones. That company had its headquarters in Seoul and a factory in Suwon, an hour south of Seoul. There were eight workers at that factory, including myself. Five of them were women.
When ten days had passed, a new college graduate joined. When he found out that I came from North Korea, he stopped calling me by my name. Instead, he started saying “Hey, you! You come over here!” He became very rude and he started treating me with disrespect and ridicule just because I was from North Korea. Every morning I took a shower before going to work. But he kept telling me that I stank. I couldn’t stand being discriminated against like that. So, I left that job after a month. Ever since, I have stopped telling people that I come from North Korea.
According to a poll, only two out of 10 North Koreans reveal that they come from North Korea. North Koreans constantly feel that it is better for them to conceal their origins. I wanted to work in sales most of all. I applied for numerous vacant positions in sales, but I could never pass the first round. When my application passed the first screening process and I was called in for an interview, I was told that I had little experience in South Korea. I was confident that I could do very well in sales, but the recruiter told me that they would only consider my application again once I had gained two years work experience in South Korea.
So, I chose plan B. I decided to work really hard for the first company that would hire me. I’ve successfully landed a job with a South Korean company now. At first, I was worried about how they would treat me, knowing that I am from North Korea. I was relieved when they treated me very well. They didn’t ridicule or shun me. When I started working for them, the tasks were very challenging and demanding. However, I didn’t quit, because they treated me the same as they would South Koreans. After two months, I became used to the work and would even whistle on my way to work every morning. I don’t know how long I will work for this company. But since I’m highly satisfied with my workplace, I would love to work for them for 30 years or more, until I retire.
We see and read news reports about racism happening in America today. In South Korea, it’s the same; both prejudiced and tolerant people exist. And so it will take time before discrimination against North Koreans disappears. South Koreans and North Koreans are of the same race and we share blood. Still, we have to face discrimination in South Korea.
I had a chance to visit America in August 2014. To be honest, I didn’t love New York City, because it was too crowded, hectic and flashy. But I absolutely loved other parts of America I visited. It felt like paradise to me. If I could speak English and if U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would allow me to immigrate to America, I would live in the U.S. rather than South Korea. I don’t know if it will ever happen. Right now, I will continue to work hard for my company so that I can be a valuable employee.
What should South Korea do to prepare for reunification?
DT: Reunification is an awkward topic. South Korean politicians pay lip service to the importance of reunification, but increasingly, the South Korean public lacks interest in it. When I visited North Korea, I got the sense that reunification is a much bigger deal there. Perhaps due to propaganda, or perhaps due to other reasons, I was told several times there that it was the dream and destiny of Koreans to be reunited. One rarely sees this kind of fervency in the South.
Sung-ha Joo:
South Korea simply wants to avoid reunification. That’s because South Koreans are scared of the potential tax burden and of what it will be like to live side-by-side with North Koreans.
Because of this, I believe it is important for the South Korean government and NGOs to make efforts to change South Korean attitudes. South Koreans need to be open-minded about living with North Koreans, and in particular understand that unification is coming and has to come, no matter what they want.
I believe the current discourse about unification focuses too much on economic issues and does not focus enough on pointing out that above all, unification is about living together.
Mina Yoon:
The South Korean government needs to take the lead in inter-Korea relations. To help this process, South Korea needs to recruit more experts on North Korea.
NGOs and organizations need to raise awareness of the importance of unification for South Koreans, especially the younger generation, as well as inform North Koreans about the outside world. The government has a limited role and limited abilities. But NGOs and other organizations have more to offer.
Ji-min Kang:
In North Korea, you are either the oppressor or the oppressed—there’s no middle ground. But things might turn around if there are radical changes in the North. Indeed, there will be countless people who hold grudges against the government for its ruthless and oppressive rule.
So without adequate measures after a regime collapse, North Korea could become a stage for bloody retaliation. Revenge will beget even more revenge. If we don’t prepare beforehand, the country will turn into a bloodbath within a few months of any major transition.
I have heard that people in North Korea’s security forces say that they may one day need to escape into China. I think this shows just how strong people’s hostility could be—and the level of fear in the North Korean government. North Korea will therefore need international assistance, especially in dealing with security problems and food shortages.
Also, people who have suffered in the political prison camps will need quite a bit of help—including, possibly, therapy. Medical facilities in North Korea have undergone extreme deterioration. Medication and medical equipment are all lacking and many people are dying from various diseases. Medical aid is therefore another area where there is a dire need for assistance.
Ji-hyun Park:
One of the major things South Korea needs to do today is to help defectors living in South Korea adapt to the capitalist system. Once North Korea collapses, the defectors will be the ones leading the North Korean people. However, even they find difficulty in gaining a foothold in South Korean society, and so they are forced to go to foreign countries. NGO groups should provide support so that defectors are able to achieve refugee status.
Hyun-moo Jung:
The first thing South Korea should do is to make efforts to understand North Koreans better. Don’t we have almost 26,000 defectors here in South Korea?
Still, South Koreans cannot judge all North Koreans by looking at these 26,000 people. Most defectors who have made it to South Korea are the ones who almost starved to death or who were subject to political oppression back in North Korea. In other words, they’re mostly either top elites or from the lowest classes—there aren’t many from the middle class.
