By Kim Young-jin
Seoul is searching for the most politically-correct way to describe North Korean defectors, after receiving complaints over the current terminology from escapees of the Stalinist state, an official said Monday.
The review was sparked by remarks made to Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik during a recent event. The ministry’s use of the English word “refugee” is also being reviewed.
The defectors said they preferred the Korean term “tal-book-min,” meaning a citizen who has left North Korea. The official terminology, “Ee-tal-joo-min,” carries in Korean the connotation of having gone astray, they said.
The official said the ministry has since unofficially begun to use “tal-book-min” within the ministry. But the official term is likely to remain for the time being as it is the legally-accepted norm. The review process will take time, the official added on condition of anonymity.
The discourse highlights challenges faced by defectors in adjusting to life in the South, including problems in the job and education sectors and with discrimination. Social workers say that seeking the most inclusive wording is a positive step in helping them adjust.
“You want to find a word that shows that they left the North by choice, but that also shows they are included in society here,” one worker for a local NGO said, asking not to be named.
Over 23,000 North Koreans have defected to the South since the 1950-53 Korean War. They are given citizenship after debriefing and a training course on adjusting to life in the South.
In English, the ministry mostly uses the word “refugee” and less often the word “defector,” the official said.
But social workers point out that since those who left the North are given nationality here it is difficult to refer to them as refugees. Some groups and foreign embassies use terms such as “re-settler” or “new settler.”
At least one defector felt a change in terminology was less important than a change in attitude.
“What is important is improving the image of those from the North,” said Kim Young-il, director of the group People for Successful Corean Reunification. “However we can do that, efforts should be made.”
The official said the ministry was welcoming input in regards to both the Korean and English terms.
“The main point is that people don’t want to be singled out in how we refer to them. While it’s not easy to narrow it down, we are listening very carefully to what people have to say.”
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