By the end of next month, the total number of defectors to have settled in South Korea is projected to reach 30,000 people. Although the defector community remains a social minority in the South (comprising only 0.06% of the total population of 51 million people), public interest in their stories is rising, making them a frequent topic of TV shows, soap operas, and movies.
The people of North Korea are also reportedly garnering more positive images of their Southern neighbors, due in no small part to the activities, remittances and news emanating from the defector community.
The considerable number of defectors means that more and more are taking roles as broadcasters and correspondents, showcasing the South Korean way of life to the North Korean people. These defectors also provide direct information about South Korea to their families in the North through telephone conversations.
“A growing number of people in North Korea are well-informed about the South Korean government’s policy of supporting North Korean defectors. This shows how fast the information can spread in North Korea. Some are commenting that they wish to experience what it’s like to be ‘taken care of’ or ‘supported’ by the government,” a source in Ryanggang Province told Daily NK on October 18.
“Ordinary North Koreans are making sarcastic comments (about the regime) like, ‘Why do we need support when we are living in a socialist paradise?” the source added. “It has become common knowledge that the family members of defectors remaining in the North can become well off with the money sent from South Korea.”
The remittances sent to the family members of defectors are also helping to revive North Korea’s market economy. One defector who sent their first salary payments to their family in North Korea commented, “I told my parents that South Korea is the real paradise.”
The phenomenon is having a positive influence on the North Korean people, as an increasing number are receiving external information through their defector relatives in the South. Another source in North Hamgyong Province added, “Unlike us (the people in North Korea) who can only talk about freedom, the defectors there (South Korea) seem to be actually experiencing it.”
“Thanks to the stream of information provided by the defector community, the regime’s propaganda claiming that defectors are leading miserable homeless lives ‘with only newspapers to cover themselves’ is no longer effective,” the source added. “I’m eager to hear more stories about the lives of defectors in South Korea.”
However, not all news streaming back to North Korea is positive, as many defectors find significant difficulties in settling down.
“If a child sent to South Korea is not adapting well in school, their relatives in North Korea are also saddened by the news. Some defectors call their family in North Korea to convey the difficulties in their lives, which makes the others think that ‘it might not be a terrible idea to just stay here,’” the North Hamgyong Province-based source said.
Some defectors are suffering from trauma incurred during the process of escaping and find it exceedingly difficult to adapt to life in South Korean society. Students who make it to South Korea via China are faced with even more obstacles at school, as they face challenges in making everyday conversation and relating to their peers.
“Knowledge and common sense are of course essential elements in adapting to a new environment. But what is even more important is the ability to understand and care for each other,” Han Sung Ae (alias, aged 38), a former teacher in North Korea told Daily NK.
“Therefore, although the individual defectors themselves need to try as hard as possible, more attention to the hardships faced by defectors would be helpful.”
