Hey guys, it's Steve from Asian Boss.
Recently, we had a chance to interview
a couple of North Korean defectors.
In the previous video, they shared their thoughts
on what's happening in North Korea
so you should watch that video first if you haven't already.
In this video, you're going to hear how
their lives have changed since arriving in South Korea
and how they feel about South Korean society in general.
Let's get to it.
How long has it been since you arrived in South Korea?
It's been 9 years.
-It's been 10 years. - Right.
Could you explain how you came to settle in South Korea?
How did you get here?
-From China, I mean. -Right.
So I was in China for about 4 years.
The truth is, if China hadn't tried to repatriate us back to North Korea,
we would've stayed.
But when China hosted the 2008 Olympics, they began
mass deportation of North Korean defectors.
During the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government ordered
defectors to be captured and sent back to North Korea.
So it was too dangerous for us to stay in China.
When the authorities started searching houses,
my mom and I were cornered like rats.
We could feel them getting closer.
We were running out of places to hide.
If we were going to die either way, we thought
we might as well die searching for freedom.
Let's at least give it a shot.
So how do you get to South Korea?
I came via Mongolia.
I understand that South Korea and Mongolia
had an unofficial agreement at the time.
Rather than repatriating defectors back to North Korea,
Mongolia would send them to South Korea in exchange for
natural resources like trees needed for the deserts.
My mom and I...
we had to go through China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
to get to South Korea.
So how did you feel when you touched down at Incheon Airport?
When I arrived at Incheon Airport,
I was just blown away.
It was like heaven.
There were so many lights, which were so pretty.
I felt as though I travelled through time,
went past 40 years and
arrived in the future.
If someone asked me when was the happiest moment in my life,
it'd be that moment on February 8, 2006.
Because when I was living in China as a defector,
my day would start like this.
As soon as I wake up,
I'd check if I was still in the same room
or if I was in prison.
That daily routine lasted for 4 years.
Even to this day, whenever I hear the sound of sirens,
whether it'd be from a fire truck, ambulance or police car,
I get goose bumps and start breaking into a cold sweat.
Anyway...
that's what my life was like.
So as the plane was arriving at the airport,
I heard the announcement:
"We'll soon be arriving so please fasten your seatbelt."
When I heard the announcement...
I still can't explain how I felt at the time,
a lot of mixed emotions...
I felt something burning inside of me and
my face got flushed and my eyes got teary.
When I looked around to see if that was just me...
at the time, there were all 8 defectors...
and we were all crying.
So was there anyone there waiting for you guys?
Yes, people from the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Because they knew you were coming?
Yes, they came out to greet us.
There was an interesting episode.
Before I boarded the plane from Mongolia
I was told by an NIS agent that
for safety, when the plane arrives in South Korea,
we should remain seated
even when the flight attendants tell us to get off the plane.
So we just sat there while everyone else got off.
It was just the 8 of us
refusing to get off when the flight attendants kept asking...
until someone from the NIS came to pick us up.
So when the agent finally showed up...
actually, I was very touched because
as soon as he saw us, he said:
"I sincerely welcome to South Korea."
And I just started crying.
Even now I get emotional just thinking about it.
very emotional...
Why were they nice to me?
I was born in North Korea and stayed loyal to the country
but got treated like a criminal.
I got abandoned my China
because I wasn't their citizen,
But the country that was supposed to be my enemy
welcomed me with open arms...
I couldn't believe it.
I didn't know those words would touch me so much.
Anyway, we got into a car and when I looked outside,
as opposed to seeing all the Chinese street signs
which I couldn't read and so was always afraid of being caught,
all I could see and hear was Korean.
It was literally heaven and I was so happy.
Afterwards,
we wend into the NIS to verify our defector status,
which took about 1 month.
The NIS had to make sure we weren't North Korean spies.
-How do they do that? - Well...
They put you on lie detectors to
monitor your heart rate in case you lie.
So things like that.
Also, Chinese people of Korean descent
know that North Koreans can get a lot of help here
so they sometimes pretend to be North Koreans and
try to get money from the South Korean government.
So they also test if you are Chinese-Korean or North Korean.
After that, you get transferred to an institution called "Hanawon".
Like temporary housing?
Yes, you live there
but you are not allowed to go outside.
You just get educated on how South Korea works.
In Hanawon, they...
teach you how to use the remote, TV and elevators etc
because we don't know anything.
-Like the basics. -Right.
So we get trained for about 3 months.
They even teach you how to ride a bus.
But I slept through the training on to ride a bus.
Yeah, I fell asleep.
So when I finally got out to join society,
I totally didn't know how to ride a bus.
I figured I could just...
copy what people in front of me were doing.
So I went to a bus stop,
and saw a man and a woman lining up in front of me.
When a bus arrived,
the man got on and tapped his butt onto the machine.
He literally tapped his butt.
I was like "In Korea, all guys have to do is tap their butts!"
You didn't realize his bus card was on the back pocket.
Next, the woman tapped her handbag onto the machine.
"Right, so men tap their butts to ride a bus and
women just have to tap their handbags."
Because I was obviously a girl,
I just took off my backpack and tapped it.
But whereas I could hear a sound for the people before me,
it didn't make any sound for me,
which really impressed me once again.
"How could they tell I was from North Korea and not make a sound?"
That's what I thought.
Then I thought...maybe
I had to tap my butt like the man did.
But I was too short to tap my butt on the machine.
-You couldn't reach it? -Not with my butt.
So I started jumping trying to tap my butt,
and the bus driver was like, "what are you doing?"
I was like, "how do I get to this place?"
"I can't make any sound."
The driver then told me not to worry about it
so I got a free bus ride.
I was very embarrassed so
after that incident, I studied about bus cards
and figured out how to ride a bus and subway.
So after you get out of Hanawon, where do you go?
You just join society.
If you are a student, you go to school.
What about housing?
The government gives you a place for 5 years, rent free.
-Right. - They give you one.
After 5 years,
you have to go somewhere else...
or you could stay and start paying rent.
While you were living in South Korea,
what did you find most fascinating or positive about South Korea?
First, they use a lot of English words.
So even if they were speaking in Korean, I couldn't understand them.
For example, when I was in college...
because it was my dream to be a college student,
I really wanted to study hard.
But my professor would say things like:
"This semester,
a presentation will be done in a 'team'
that 'networking' is a necessary part of 'team play',
and that there has to be a good 'communication'."
I was like, "what did you say?"
Best thing about South Korea?
Really...first of all,
you can enjoy freedom!
I can say whatever I want
and the government doesn't care.
Can't you just say things in North Korea?
No way! In North Korea,
you should add a little like "General Kim Jong-il".
Whoever says "Kim Jong-il" just by his name
would just disappear the next day.
So for example, if you say "Kim Jong Un is fat!"
What happens to you?
You will be gone.
-They take you away. -Seriously?
Even if you are with friends, you can't say things like that.
So when people find out that you are North Korean,
maybe from your accent,
do they treat you differently?
Yeah, I'd say it's a little different
because South Koreans have certain stereotypes
about Chinese-Koreans and North Koreans.
What kind of stereotypes?
They just assume that you are poor
and look down on you.
Especially when you go in for a job interview and
once they find out that you're North Korean...
it's like...
"if you want to work in this company
try not to reveal that you are from North Korea."
But I'm not ashamed of being North Korean.
Actually, I feel quite proud
to have through all the hardships to come to South Korea.
but since South Koreans could treat you differently,
I think that's why companies
don't want me to say where I'm from,
which makes me really sad.
Is North Korea better than South Korea in any aspects?
Like, this one thing is better in North Korea.
Definitely the environment.
The air is very clean.
Especially at night,
you can see so many stars in the sky...
including the Milky Way.
What about the people aspect?
What's the difference between North and South Koreans?
That's probably what I struggled with the most at first...
People are very cold
and unapproachable.
In Seoul, you don't even know who lives next door.
In North Korea, you know everyone
in your neighborhood, like their names,
their family members, how old they are,
what they do for a living, etc.
That's how much you know and everyone is very close.
In that expect...
you could say that North Korea is slightly better.
South Koreans are obviously much wealthier.
Right.
But do they look happier than North Koreans to you?
Not necessarily.
In my opinion, South Koreans
are so busy with work that
they don't seem very happy.
All they do is work.
To buy nice houses and cars,
they always chase money rather than happiness.
Thant's interesting.
So you could be happier even when you are "poor"?
Even when I was starving in North Korea, I was happy.
In South Korea,
even high school students are stressed because of studying.
For example, they have private tutoring from 7am.
go to school and
stay there till 7pm,
then attend another private tutoring institution until 11pm everyday.
That can be stressful.
But in North Korea,
they tell you to go outside and play after school.
You only study in school.
I actually feel sorry for them.
-You mean South Koreans? -Yes.
Because...
they are so busy competing with everyone that
they lose out on the most important things
like happiness, love and relationships, etc.
They only focus on materialistic things.
One of my most memorable experiences in South Korea was
when I was in college.
A professor gave us an assignment
to say "thank you, I love you" to our parents and write about
the parents' reactions and
how we felt about their reactions.
I was like, "How is this even an assignment?"
I thought it was some practical joke.
But most students were
freaking out like "How am I supposed to do that!"
So I figured it was difficult for them.
But in my 3rd year of college
I found myself contemplating suicide.
-Why? -Because...
as a North Korean,
I just couldn't see how I could compete with South Koreans
to get ahead in life.
I also suffer from hemophilia so
when I bleed, it doesn't stop.
Could someone sick like me survive in South Korean society?
No, I didn't think I could.
So I decided to kill myself
but at that moment, I felt a sense of regret.
Other than the moment of arriving at Incheon Airport,
getting my social security and student cards,
I had no other happy memories.
"I finally have freedom after risking my life,
but why is my life so miserable?"
I asked myself that question and
that's when I realized that
I was pursuing the same materialistic goals as my South Korean friends.
Regrettably, South Korea has
the highest suicide rate in the world for 12 years in a row.
When I first came to South Korea,
I laughed at those that committed suicide
but I finally understood their pain.
I can see it from both perspectives now.
So for the rest of my life,
I'm going to do all I can to help reduce the suicide rate in South Korea.
You have a very inspiring vision,
which I'm sure you will execute well.
But have you ever been falsely accused of anything?
Like being a North Korean spy?
Have you seen any of those instances?
Actually, my close friend's mom got accused of being a spy
and was investigated by the NIS.
My friend was very angry about it.
I remember him drinking a lot
and expressing disappointment towards South Korean society.
Another example is...
when a North Korean woman met with future in-laws for the first time,
they asked her if she was a spy.
Also, because there are instances of human trafficking of defectors in China,
they asked if she had been previously married or had an illegitimate child,
which was very humiliating and hurtful to the woman.
But they just said that to her face.
I can understand why they asked,
but the problem here is the stereotypes.
Not all North Koreans are spies.
This could also affect their employment.
So we always have to be careful and watch what we say and do.
Why is that?
Because if you say or do one wrong thing,
people will say it's because you're North Korean.
So it'll be difficult for people to fully embrace defectors?
I don't think it will ever be 100%.
Maybe to some extent.
How would North Koreans feel about reunification?
Ever since the Kim Il-Sung administration,
North Koreans have always been taught that we are one Korea.
Part of that was obviously
politically-motivated brainwashing but still,
we were always taught the two Koreas need to be reunified.
But the reason for the reunification...
because we were told South Korea was full of homeless people.
-So North Korea had to rescue them. -Right.
What about now?
Because people must be aware how wealthy South Korea is,
Despite that,
would North Koreans still want reunification?
Probably not the ones in charge
because they wouldn't want to be held accountable
for the crimes they committed.
They know that.
And ordinary citizens?
Ordinary North Koreans have nothing to lose.
So they'd want reunification
because life is too tough right now.
Do you personally want reunification?
Of course I do.
The reason why I started a Youtube channel in South Korea
was to help speed up the process of reunification.
That's why.
How realistic is reunification though?
The thing about reunification is...
it will only work if both North and South Koreans see eye to eye.
Then how do you think South Koreans feel about reunification?
I had a little kid once asked me: "What is renunciation?"
So I had explain to him what it is.
When I asked him why he didn't know about it,
he said his parents never taught him what it was.
He just had no basic idea even though
he was in elementary school.
Unless South Koreans are properly educated on reunification,
my guess is most of them wouldn't care.
I'm a defector so of course I want reunification more than anyone.
Because I want to visit home.
That said, I don't think the time is right.
-Why do you say that? -Because...
South Korea is too uninformed about North Korea.
South Korea's perception of North Korea is stuck
in late 90s to early 2000s.
Some high school and college students are
still fascinated to see me and
ask me if we use the same language.
That's how little education there is about reunification.
Even if North Koreans are brainwashed,
at least they are constantly being taught about reunification.
There are over 30,000 North Korean defectors in South Korea right now.
Yet, people know nothing about North Koreans
nor do they try to mix with them.
Right now, North Koreans have such a good impression of South Korea
and as soon as we reunify, they will come to South Korea.
When they do, we can expect a serious clash
and the social conflict will exceed anything we can imagine.
I think that will create serious economic and cultural issues
to the point Korea could fall.
This is such a serious issue and for that reason, I'm against it
until people's mindsets change first.
We hope that this video helped you become better informed about North Korea
and we'd like to ask you to do whatever you can
to raise awareness on this issue.
We also had a change to collaborate with a YouTube channel "Digitalsoju TV"
to make a more light-hearted video
about North Koreans trying American BBQ for the first time
so make sure you check out their video as well.
Thanks for watching and see you in the next video.
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