By Kim Hyun-bin
A study has found 37 percent of female North Korean defectors surveyed face workplace discrimination in the South, both for being women and defectors, which often leads to lower wages and sexual harassment.
The study was conducted by Ewha University's Industry Collaboration Foundation on the request of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, by surveying 100 female defectors who work here and conducting in-depth interviews with 35 of them between May 1 and Aug. 18.
As of March, there were 32,705 North Korean defectors residing in South Korea, of which 72 percent, or 23,506, were women.
The study states female defectors go through difficulties in employment in South Korean society, ranging from the hiring process to the pay gap, due to prejudices surrounding both their gender and country of origin. They said discrimination starts from job hunting as many are rejected due to their defector status or strong North Korean accents.
A former teacher in the North who defected to the South in 2013 says her defection was the reason she was denied a job at a restaurant.
"The restaurant owner said they had hired defectors before, but the customers did not like the strong accent and the defectors did not get along well with other co-workers. It would have been easier to land a job if I had lied and said I was Korean-Chinese," said the defector in her 40s, whose name was withheld in the report.
Discrimination occurs even after landing a job, with 37 percent of the respondents claiming they have experienced workplace discrimination, and two-thirds of them saying they believe the discrimination took place because of their defector status.
The interviewees said their superiors at work often tell them to fix their accents, and when they are involved in a conflict with other co-workers, the superiors blame the defectors for not being able to adapt to society.
Defectors also often receive lower wages, with employers citing no prior work experience in the country.
A woman in her 30s obtained several computer skill-related certificates and Chinese language certificates here, but employers said she had to receive less pay than other workers.
"Other co-workers received a 24 million won yearly salary, but I was asked to work for 22 million won. I was also asked to do translation tasks but my salary did not rise, which I believe is because I am a defector," she said.
According to the Korea Hana Foundation, the average monthly salary for a defector stood at 1.9 million won ($1,597), which is 660,000 won lower than the country's average.
Some experienced sexual harassment. One woman said her superior talked about her figure often, while another working at an indoor screen golf venue said a married customer asked her to become his lover.
The report states that 41 percent of the defectors who experience discrimination and harassment cope with the situation on their own. When asked how they would respond if the incident occurred in the North, 47 percent said they would address the person subjecting them to discrimination or harassment, while 25 percent said they would request help from a coworker or superior.
"Female defectors are subject to double discrimination due to their gender and defection. The country's defection law should include better protection for female defectors and offer stronger protection of their human rights," said Kim Suk-hyang, professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, who led the study.
A study has found 37 percent of female North Korean defectors surveyed face workplace discrimination in the South, both for being women and defectors, which often leads to lower wages and sexual harassment.
The study was conducted by Ewha University's Industry Collaboration Foundation on the request of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, by surveying 100 female defectors who work here and conducting in-depth interviews with 35 of them between May 1 and Aug. 18.
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| A study has found 37 percent of female North Korean defectors face workplace discrimination in South Korea. gettyimagesbank |
The study states female defectors go through difficulties in employment in South Korean society, ranging from the hiring process to the pay gap, due to prejudices surrounding both their gender and country of origin. They said discrimination starts from job hunting as many are rejected due to their defector status or strong North Korean accents.
A former teacher in the North who defected to the South in 2013 says her defection was the reason she was denied a job at a restaurant.
"The restaurant owner said they had hired defectors before, but the customers did not like the strong accent and the defectors did not get along well with other co-workers. It would have been easier to land a job if I had lied and said I was Korean-Chinese," said the defector in her 40s, whose name was withheld in the report.
Discrimination occurs even after landing a job, with 37 percent of the respondents claiming they have experienced workplace discrimination, and two-thirds of them saying they believe the discrimination took place because of their defector status.
The interviewees said their superiors at work often tell them to fix their accents, and when they are involved in a conflict with other co-workers, the superiors blame the defectors for not being able to adapt to society.
Defectors also often receive lower wages, with employers citing no prior work experience in the country.
A woman in her 30s obtained several computer skill-related certificates and Chinese language certificates here, but employers said she had to receive less pay than other workers.
"Other co-workers received a 24 million won yearly salary, but I was asked to work for 22 million won. I was also asked to do translation tasks but my salary did not rise, which I believe is because I am a defector," she said.
According to the Korea Hana Foundation, the average monthly salary for a defector stood at 1.9 million won ($1,597), which is 660,000 won lower than the country's average.
Some experienced sexual harassment. One woman said her superior talked about her figure often, while another working at an indoor screen golf venue said a married customer asked her to become his lover.
The report states that 41 percent of the defectors who experience discrimination and harassment cope with the situation on their own. When asked how they would respond if the incident occurred in the North, 47 percent said they would address the person subjecting them to discrimination or harassment, while 25 percent said they would request help from a coworker or superior.
"Female defectors are subject to double discrimination due to their gender and defection. The country's defection law should include better protection for female defectors and offer stronger protection of their human rights," said Kim Suk-hyang, professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, who led the study.
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