“You have to open your heart and reach out
in order for people to notice you. If you reach out, people will offer you a
hand. That’s how things work.”
Anyone who knows Park Seung Min [pictured left, Image: Daily NK], who
recently passed a test to become a sanitation worker in Daejeon City, will
refer to him as a “good,” “hardworking,” and “trustworthy”
person. When Park got married last May, the venue was packed with other
defectors, volunteers, colleagues, and former colleagues eager to wish him
well.
Before coming to South Korea, Park worked
at a shoe factory for four years in China. This is where he met his wife, whom
he loves for her bright personality and strong ambitions. Even after leaving
China, she remained close in his thoughts and he asked for her hand in marriage
this year after settling down with the help of Daejeon’s
National Unification Advisory Council.
“It’s really hard
for North Koreans to be treated like human beings in China. But she encouraged
me a lot and really hoped for things to work out for me. I want to have a child
with her and live a happy life,” Park said.
Park settled down in Daejeon in May 2012,
working on construction and demolition sites–a diligent worker despite the
difficult nature of the job. Many who worked with him asked for him to come
back or recommended him for different jobs. One company owner even offered to
lend him his car so that he could get to and from work more easily because he
lived far away from the work site.
“I’m really
grateful. I declined his offer but he said it was because he was so thankful
that I worked so hard and that I was someone he could trust,” Park recalled. “When I told him I made it
through the sanitation worker test, he was really happy for me but also
saddened that I would have to leave my current job.”
Through this experience Park promised
himself he would always try his best to gain trust from others. He also attributed the luck of meeting the right people and landing the right jobs all to diligence and hard work. “If I had given up
and thought to rely on others, I don’t think I would
have anything right now,” he asserted.
Give back what you have received
 Image: Daily NK |
Park considers himself lucky when it comes
to meeting good people. Wherever he goes there is always someone who is
offering him help. Those surrounding him also have nothing but good things to
say about him.
“He looks after others. So even if it’s something that’s almost brand new, he’ll come to donate it for others to use. If he hears of a good job,
he will introduce other defectors and does a lot of nice things for other
people,” said a counselor at the Daejeon Hana
Foundation.
Park recalled all the help he received from
others while he was trying to settle down and make a life for himself after
escaping North Korea and feels it is important to “pay
it forward.” “I just try to help others with whatever I have, as I try to achieve
my goals. That’s how this world works.”
Unsurprisingly, his job as a sanitation
worker is not easy, and getting up so early each morning comes with some
difficulty. However, despite these factors, Park stresses how happy
he is to have a stable job with a decent salary and benefits.
“Some people don’t
like the idea of being a sanitation worker, but there aren’t many jobs where you can work for the community and be paid for it,” he said. “The earlier you start, the
earlier you finish work, and what I like the most about it is that it’s something I can do for a long time. I received a lot of help from
others, so it’s time for me to return those favors.”
When he was first starting out, Park says
he covered his face with a mask, worried that others would see and judge him. But after
one or two months, he came to be proud of what he does, and whenever he
looks at his bank book, it gives him more confidence and makes it all
worthwhile.
Park’s ultimate
goal is to climb up the corporate ladder and try to obtain licenses in a number
of fields as to contribute in different ways to society. In the
future, when the two Koreas are unified, he dreams of going back to his home
town and proudly telling others what kind of life he lived.
“That’s why I try
not to forget what happened in the past. It may have been rough, but you can
learn a lot from it,” he said. “I’m going to set new goals and try my best
to take on the challenge. This is for my wife and all the other people who
opened themselves up to me, for this society that accepted me, and for the
unified Korea that we will see in the future.”
*This article was made possible by support
from the Korea Hana Foundation [the North Korean Refugees Foundation].
