'NK defectors in need of human touch'
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Jang Won-yi, second from left, poses with other volunteer workers at Hana Center on Jeju Island, Thursday. / Courtesy of Hana Center
By Chung Min-uck
Jang Won-yi, 59, a retired school nurse, said North Korea defectors want to be heard rather than being instructed by South Koreans.
“My heart was torn apart when I heard about the hardship North Koreans had to face before coming to the South,” Jang said in a recent interview. “I felt that it was my fault. We come from the same ethnic background, so who is to blame when we now have the sense of being different?”
After her retirement in February 2013, she started doing volunteer service at the Hana Center, a support center for North Korean defectors, on Jeju Island.
She first started training the defectors on how to keep themselves healthy and safe. But as Jang got more engaged with them, she discovered that what they needed most was human affection.
“Every time I look at them, I encounter wounded hearts that South Koreans cannot even think of,” said the ex-nurse. “What they need is us being all ears, instead of telling them what they should do to adapt to the society.”
A young defector surnamed Kim has literally lost all her teeth because of the harsh living conditions she endured in the North, as well as the treacherous process of fleeing the reclusive country. Another defector has become barren because of engaging in sexual servitude in a third country before arriving in South Korea, she said.
Jang said she asked the defectors what they want in life and whether they would be happy if they become wealthy in South Korea.
The common answer was “no.” Instead they said, “warm human touch,” according to Jang.
“The thing they are missing is not wealth, but people’s affection,” she said.
Asked about her future plans, Jang said she wants to become a mediator between South and North Koreans.
“I want to consistently engage in activities relating to defectors from the North,” Jang said. “In other words, I want to become a bridge between the two countries.”
The former school nurse also said she is currently taking courses on teaching Korean language to foreigners so that she can teach Korean to foreign brides here.