Education for N. Korean defectors

By Kim Seo-yeon

There are approximately 29,000 North Korean defectors in South Korea and the number is growing.

Although defectors took a dangerous journey to South Korea dreaming of happier lives, the reality is harsher.

When defectors arrive in Seoul, they are interviewed and checked for a month at the North Korean Defector Resident Protection Services Center. Then, they go to Hanawon for three months.

Hanawon is the South Korean government’s support center educating North Korean refugees about life in South Korea before they start living by themselves.

Hanawon devotes 300 hours to giving North Koreans career guidance about working life expectations and job hunting. They spend another 100 hours dealing with emotional stability and health maintenance.

Even though defectors learn mostly about how to get a job and live in South Korea, the unemployment rate of defectors was 4.8 percent in 2015, compared to South Koreans’ 3.6 percent.

Nevertheless, Hanawon hardly deals with the problems such as unemployment, cultural differences and discrimination that North Korean refugees will actually confront in South Korea.

Therefore, Hanawon needs to change its curriculum to help North Korean defectors learn about their future lives more accurately.

Hanawon mostly deals with how refugees can nget a job. However, the barriers refugees actually confront in society are commonly caused by cultural differences and discrimination.

Defectors spent their whole lives in North Korea, which is a socialist state where everybody gets an equal amount. However, as soon as they get to Seoul, they have to understand the concept of capitalism, under which they can get as much as they achieve.

This concept of capitalism can appear difficult for North Koreans who have been living with passive working attitudes. Also, they dream that life will be easy and they can get everything they want. But in capitalism, such dreams are achieved through hard work and trying.

Hanawon invites North Koreans who have built successful lives in South Korea, which is uncommon, to give presentations to newly arrived defectors.

This makes defectors who do not know much about South Korean society think that they can also be successful.

Another incorrect expectation is that South Koreans will be welcoming, but in reality, the refugees often suffer severe discrimination.

In fact, 20.5 percent of 1,785 defectors answered that they thought about committing suicide, and 79 percent of them were depressed.

Hanawon is not giving a realistic education to North Korean defectors. In consequence, defectors find it even harder to adjust to South Korean society because of the unexpected reality.

Therefore, Hanawon needs to tell refugees the reality they will face, so that they are better prepared for life in South Korea.

Kim Seo-yeon is a student at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, majoring in English, international economics and law. Write to preetygirl05@naver.com.