The Korea Times

'Have you ever considered returning to North Korea?' (Part 1)

Casey Lartigue Jr.Eunsun, female, escaped North Korea in 2004, arrived in South Korea in 2008I thought about it a lot when I first arrived. I had left my family behind in North Korea, I was here on my own. South Koreans seemed to be so unsympathetic and uncaring. After I went through the interrogation with the NIS and then through Hanawon, I was really wondering if this country was for me. I even wondered if the North Korean government had been correct about South Korea. The workers tried to be nice but it was just a job for them. At times I would not leave my home unless it was absolutely necessary; I got tired of seeing the frowning and angry faces on the street. Finally I started to meet more nice people and began to feel like I could live here. I have now settled down so I don't think about North Korea, and I cry when I meet people who have arrived recently, their stories remind me about why I left. Of course, if North Korea became a free country, I would love to return and I would go back to help others.Eunhee, female, escaped in 2009, arrived in 2009I have thought about it, but

Sep 29, 2019By Casey Lartigue Jr.

'Have you ever considered returning to North Korea?' (Part 1)

'Have you ever considered returning to North Korea?' (Part 2)

Opinion

NK defectors talk about death of mother, son who may have starved

The apartment in Seoul where North Korean refugee Han Sung-ok and her son were found dead on July 31. Korea Times fileThere have been international headlines for the past month about a North Korean refugee named Ms. Han Sung-ok who reportedly starved to death in Seoul. This blog post quotes North Korean refugees commenting on her death. ― ED.Myung-shik, male, escaped North Korea in 2010, arrived in South Korea in 2010The system let her starve. There are many organizations and the government that have a lot of money, but their support doesn't reach refugees. They spend so much money, but how many North Korean refugees work at the big government agencies and organizations? Even though so much money is spent in the name of helping North Korean refugees, it mainly seems to be South Koreans who are benefitting from it. North Korean refugees still can't get jobs after graduating from even the good universities here; many others work in hard labor. I hear so many excuses, but nothing really changes. The system isn't set up to help North Korean refugees in a practical way. Ms. Han probably d

Sep 21, 2019By Casey Lartigue Jr.

NK defectors talk about death of mother, son who may have starved

Opinion

What freedom is and why it is essential

Chaeeun Song speaking at TNKR's 10th English Speech Contest, September 1, 2019.On September 1, the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center held its 10th English speech contest. Nine North Korean refugees competed in the contest sponsored by the Korea Times and Shin and Kim Law Office, giving original speeches in English addressing the theme, “I am from North Korea.” Chaeeun Song, a North Korean refugee who joined TNKR in mid-2018, was selected as the winner of the contest by a panel of judges. Since joining TNKR, she has studied with 13 tutors and speech coach mentors. She studied with speech coach mentors Mark Bendul and Karen Livecchia to get prepared for the contest. Below is an excerpt of her script, as prepared for delivery. -- ED. Hello, everyone! I am so happy to stand here to speak about freedom.First of all, I want to say thank you to TNKR for giving me a great opportunity to improve my English and to be able to exercise my freedom of speech. I really appreciate Casey and Eunkoo and my great teachers. Today, I am going to talk about three types o

Sep 15, 2019By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Opinion

Why do NK refugees take to the stage?

Park Eun-hee, the winner of 9th English speech. Courtesy of TNKRCasey Lartigue Jr.Nine North Korean refugees delivered original speeches in English on Saturday in Seoul at the 10th English speech contest hosted by the North Korean Refugees Global Education Center. Several of the speakers gave comments about their experiences getting prepared to speak, and one speaker who dropped out of the contest explained why the main reason he withdrew. ― ED. Speaker 1: I have two reasons for joining the speech contest. First, healing. When I joined the speech contest two years ago, I went through a healing process. I was able to write about my experience of escaping North Korea, going through China, then settling down here in South Korea. I felt my damaged heart had been healed. TNKR's co-founders, staff and volunteer mentors all encouraged me so much, they made it clear, “You are not alone, you can get out of your dark cage, we can help you and we will be with you.”Second, “to pay it forward.” When I was an exchange student in the U.S., I often heard the expression "pay i

Sep 1, 2019By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Opinion

North Korean refugees speak out on TV shows about them

In 2017, the co-founders of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center (TNKR) were guests on the cable TV show “On My Way to Meet You” featuring North Korean refugees. Many North Korean refugees learned about TNKR from that show and many students have since joined the program so they can study English. April 2017 “On My Way to Meet You,” (13 minute clip with English subtitles here or our segment from the 57 minute mark here). I occasionally ask North Korean refugees what they think about the various TV shows featuring North Korean refugees. Below are some of their thoughts. Han, female, escaped from North Korea in 1998, arrived in 2001I arrived in South Korea when there were few North Korean refugees here. I wish those kind of shows would have been in the media then. So many South Koreans assumed we were criminals or losers, or accused us of abandoning our families. The shows aren't perfect, but one good benefit is that they have introduced many South Koreans to everyday North Korean refugees. A second good benefit is that it has an infl

Aug 10, 2019By Casey Lartigue Jr.

North Korean refugees speak out on TV shows about them

Opinion

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (6)

Korea Times fileMore than 32,000 North Korean refugees have made it to South Korea, with almost every refugee passing through "Hanawon" since the first center opened on July 8, 1999. In the lead-up to a July 7 forum marking Hanawon's 20th anniversary, TNKR began asking North Korean refugees about their Hanawon experiences. Please check here for parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. ― ED.Jejoon, male, escaped from North Korea in 2011, arrived in South Korea in 2012Hanawon is part of the process of adjusting to South Korea, so I could endure some uncomfortable things. When I was there, I wished Hanawon could have been extended a few months, and it would have been more useful if I could have had one week to experience South Korea on my own. That way, I would have been more focused on the lectures I was hearing.It was good getting to know some of the people who had escaped from North Korea, we could understand each other very quickly. I had time to exercise and think about my life. I needed some time to adjust to this society, I wanted to change my accent and I wanted more time to learn

Jul 7, 2019By Casey Lartigue Jr.

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (6)

Opinion

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (5)

Korea Times fileMore than 32,000 North Korean refugees have made it to South Korea, with almost every refugee passing through "Hanawon" since the first center opened on July 8, 1999. In the lead-up to a July 7 forum marking Hanawon's 20th anniversary, TNKR began asking North Korean refugees about their Hanawon experiences. Please check here for parts 1, 2, 3 and 4. ― ED.Myong-Ju, female, escaped North Korea in 2009, arrived in South Korea in 2010While I was there, I really wanted to get out. "Why should I be here?" But these days, when I look back, that was my most comfortable time in South Korea. Sometimes I miss the time I was at Hanawon, it was boring, but also it was so quiet, I had time to reflect on my life.The difficult time came after I got out and had to adjust to life in South Korea. I went through depression; I was in a hospital for a while. I really struggled because I didn't have any social connections. Things have gotten better now, but it was a very difficult time in my life.Hyang-mi, female, escaped from North Korea in 2013, arrived in South Korea in 2015Whe

Jul 1, 2019By Casey Lartigue Jr.

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (5)

Opinion

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (4)

Korea Times fileMore than 32,000 North Korean refugees have made it to South Korea, with almost every refugee passing through “Hanawon” since the first center opened on July 8, 1999. In the lead-up to a July 7 forum marking Hanawon's 20th anniversary, TNKR began asking North Korean refugees about their Hanawon experiences. Please check here for parts 1, 2 and 3. ― ED.Sumin, female, escaped North Korea in 2008, arrived in South Korea in 2009I read the previous blog posts about Hanawon, I am happy to share my experience with you. I hope you can destroy the Hanawon system. It is such a harmful and destructive way to introduce North Korean refugees to South Korean society.I had been thrilled to know I was finally going to South Korea, but the Hanawon process exhausted and frustrated me.Looking back, I feel that I was being brainwashed without choices to learn what interested me. In North Korea, the brainwashing was all consuming. In China, the pastor wanted us to follow his religion before he would help us escape to freedom, it seemed if we didn’t believe 100% in w

Jun 22, 2019By Casey Lartigue Jr.

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (4)

Opinion

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (3)

Hanawon. Korea Times fileOn July 8, 1999, the South Korean government opened the Settlement Support Center for North Korean Refugees, often referred to as "Hanawon." In the past two decades, more than 32,000 North Korean refugees have made it to South Korea, with almost every refugee passing through Hanawon. In the lead-up to a July 7 forum marking Hanawon's 20th anniversary, TNKR began asking North Korean refugees about their Hanawon experiences. This is part 3. Please check here for parts 1 and 2. ― ED.Casey Lartigue Jr.Jihyun, female, escaped from North Korea in 2012, arrived in South Korea in 2017Hanawon was so good. It was really a great introduction to life in South Korea. I learned so many things. There were so many people there from different parts of North Korea. I was never bored when I was there. The program was so good. It seemed that every day I was getting shocked and surprised about things I was learning about South Korea. The best part was when we were allowed to visit a South Korean home. We got to learn about life here. I enjoyed that so much and will never forget i

Jun 15, 2019By Casey Lartigue Jr.

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (3)

Opinion

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (2)

On July 8, 1999, the South Korean government opened the Settlement Support Center for North Korean Refugees, often referred to as "Hanawon." In the past two decades, more than 32,000 North Korean refugees have made it to South Korea, with almost every refugee passing through Hanawon. In the lead-up to a forum marking its 20th anniversary, TNKR began asking North Korean refugees about their Hanawon experiences. ― ED.Casey Lartigue Jr.Eunseo, female, escaped North Korea in 2012, arrived in South Korea in 2012.Hanawon was useless for me. I just wanted to get out. It seemed they were letting ideology and politics have too much influence. One ridiculous thing we learned was about putting blocks in toilets to save water. They were more interested in talking about the environment rather than teaching us something practical for everyday survival, such as learning how to pay bills. At that time, I couldn't understand why they were so focused on environmental things when we were thinking about how we would survive after we were released from Hanawon.They certainly tried to have an organized an

Jun 8, 2019By Casey Lartigue Jr.

Casey Lartigue Jr.

Read more

'Have you ever considered returning to North Korea?' (Part 1)

NK defectors talk about death of mother, son who may have starved

What freedom is and why it is essential

Why do NK refugees take to the stage?

North Korean refugees speak out on TV shows about them

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (6)

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (5)

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (4)

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (3)

North Korean refugees speak out: 'My Hanawon experience' (2)

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