NK refugees seek to organize labor union

By Kim Tae-jong

North Korean refugees are moving to organize a labor union to protect their labor rights and fight discrimination against them at workplaces.

“North Korean defectors are leading a hard life here, having difficulty in getting jobs and facing discrimination,” said Kim Gi-sung, director of the Preparatory Committee for the Labor Union for North Korean Defectors. “So we’re now trying to improve the situation by organizing a labor union.”

He said most defectors here become day laborers or seasonal worker, regardless of their expertise or previous job background in the Stalinist state.

“I hope society doesn’t see us simply as hungry people without the ability to handle sophisticated work. I also think defectors contribute to Korean society, especially given their unique characteristics. They can work as a bridge between the North and South, which should be better recognized,” he said.

The 41-year-old defector said they are now talking with people from other North Korean organizations here to come up with more details for the plan. They will apply to the Ministry of Labor and Employment for permission to organize a labor union in the near future.

Kim also emphasized that North Korean defectors lead a harder life than migrants from Southeast Asian countries and ethnic Korean-Chinese largely due to a lack of their own community.

“Other minority groups such as migrant workers from Southeast Asian countries or ethnic Korean-Chinese have formed their own communities, building networks among them. That’s how they can raise their collective voices on certain issues in an effective way and protect their rights. We believe we need such a network among some 20,000 defectors,” he said.

Defectors under recognized

A 33-year-old North Korean defector, who asked to be identified only by his surname Kim, worked as a translator in a North Korean construction firm in Vladivostok, Russia, for his fluent Russian before he came to the South in 2004.

As the son of a foreign affairs ministry official in North Korea, he went to a Russian school when he was young and majored in the foreign language at university in Pyongyang.

But now he works here as an air conditioner repairman, after failing to land a “decent” job involving his specialty.

Likewise, most defectors here end up with low-paying jobs regardless of their specialties.

Kim Heung-kwang, founder of the North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity, said government support programs are insufficient in helping them find employment.

“Defectors receive job training for six to 18 months, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they can get the job they want. Basically, it’s hard for us to adjust to the whole new environment here, and when we try to get a job, we face discriminative treatment just because we came from the North,” he said.

Kim Young-il of the defectors group People for Successful Corean Reunification also pointed out that a number of North Korean defectors who graduated from universities in South Korea suffer from unemployment due to the label of “defector.”

“Unemployment isn’t just a problem for North Korean defectors given the current financial situation, but I guess they experience more difficulties when seeking a job here,” he said. “They should try harder, which I guess is the only solution.”