HanmiGlobal helps North Korean defector earn Ph.D. in US

Kim Seong-ryeol, left, who defected from North Korea, stands with HanmiGlobal Chairman Kim Jong-hoon at the company's headquarters in Seoul, Thursday, after the chairman congratulated him on receiving his doctoral degree at Syracuse University last December. Courtesy of Walk Together, HanmiGlobal

By Kim Jae-heun

North Korean defector Kim Seong-ryeol, who was supported by HanmiGlobal's social welfare foundation Walk Together, received his doctoral degree in the field of international relations at Syracuse University on Dec. 17, 2021, the corporation said Thursday.

Kim is the second North Korean defector to earn a doctorate in the United States.

“I thank Chairman Kim for supporting me and helping me to realize my dream. I will continue to study international relations to contribute in the global community and Korea,” Kim said after visiting HanmiGlobal Chairman Kim Jong-hoon at the foundation's headquarters in Seoul.

The chairman also congratulated Kim and said there needs to be leadership among North Korean defectors so as to prepare for the unification of the two Koreas.

“Kim's success story has given hope to many other North Korean defectors to pursue their dream,” the chairman said.

The 37-year-old first came to South Korea in Sept. 2004. He attempted to defect with his family three times before from 1997, but failed and was deported to North Korea from China.

As Kim dropped out of middle school in North Korea he was required to take South Korean school examinations up to high school level. He then enrolled at Handong Global University to study international affairs and earned a master's degree at Yonsei University in the field of North Korean studies.

Kim first met the chairman in 2015 when he was preparing to study abroad. The chairman promised to support Kim, who was accepted to Maxwell School at Syracuse University in New York three years later. U.S President Joe Biden is also an alumni of Syracuse University at the College of Law.

It took three years and six months for Kim to graduate from the school during which he wrote a paper analyzing North Korea's diplomatic policy on the establishment of a North America-East Asian security council to address North Korea's development of nuclear weapons.

Walk Together was founded in 2010 to support disabled people as well as North Korean defectors struggling to resettle in South Korea.