Suffering, South vs. North Korea (Part 2)

Eom Yeong-nam / Courtesy of Voices from the North

Eom Yeong-nam was a featured speaker at the May 15 Asia Regional Forum organized by Freedom Speakers International and sponsored by UniKorea. Below is an excerpt of his remarks. ― Ed.

By Eom Yeong-nam

As I mentioned in part 1 of my speech, I suffered in North Korea, and escaping was the only way to deal with it.

When I came to South Korea for the first time, I felt like an alien. I was struggling with many challenges.

The first suffering for me was English.

Even though South and North Koreans use the same language; I couldn't figure out some Korean characters on apartment walls and street signs. "Computer cleaning", "Prugio Apartment", "Humansia Apartment." I couldn't understand what in the hell those Korean words were.

The second thing that caused me to suffer was the fact that I had to change my mindset from being passive to active.

In North Korea I had to follow the regime's rules. Thinking was unnecessary and could even get you into trouble. So it was better and easier to just follow the rules in North Korea.

However, in South Korea, nobody teaches you what to do, which course to take to help you get a job, how to efficiently manage your finances, or even to avoid fraud. I actually lost a lot of money in a scam run by a North Korean defector. I didn't know how to invest in a business and how to figure out what was true or false.

Suffering, South vs. North Korea (Part 1)

2021-07-03 09:50 | Workable Words

That is why many North Korean defectors say, "In North Korea, I could die of malnutrition. In South Korea, I could die from ignorance."

The third thing that caused me to suffer here was the need to overcome the education gap.

Even though I graduated from college in North Korea, it was not quite helpful to get a job there. Because of my family background, the only job I could get in North Korea was as a laborer in a manufacturing factory. That is also the kind of work I did in South Korea, at a plastic materials factory, when I came here for the first time.

The fourth thing that caused me to suffer was political and social discrimination.

The North Korean regime frequently engages in military provocations, such as the sinking the Cheonan Navy corvette, the Yeonyeong Island bombing, ballistic missile launches, and so on. Due to those provocations, I felt guilty. I felt ashamed, guilty and even angry when people asked questions like, "Have you tried Ramen noodles? Is there alcohol in North Korea? "Have you eaten pork?" I would sometimes criticize people asking such questions: "Do you think I am a beggar? Do you think I am stupid?"

For a while, I stopped telling people that I came from North Korea, and would tell them that I was from Gangwon Province in South Korea. However, one day I met someone from Gangwon who started asking me details, so I ran away from him.

As you can see, I was also struggling with many things, suffering in many ways in South Korea. Some might think there was no difference because I had suffered in both places. However, there is a huge difference.

As I mentioned earlier, when you live in freedom, you can try to find solutions to your problems and suffering.

I mentioned that I was struggling with a language barrier when I first came to South Korea. I was able to overcome it by learning English in Canada and at Freedom Speakers International (FSI).

Many of you may be familiar with Konglish. I now can understand the way South Koreans talk, and I can even give a speech in English as I am doing now.

I was struggling with having a passive mindset, but I was able to overcome it. During the process of learning English, I had opportunities to write speeches and speak in public. This led me to be brave and have the confidence to reveal my identity. Being able to say what I thought and to talk about my experiences helped me have a more active rather than a passive mindset.

These days, when people ask me questions like, "Have you tried Ramen noodles? Is there alcohol in North Korea? "Have you eaten pork?" I answer them: "Yes, I eat ramen, but not much. Yes. There is alcohol, there are even alcoholics in North Korea. Yes, I eat pork, but not much." And I have a big smile on my face as I am answering!

I mentioned struggles I had because of the educational gap between North and South Korea. I graduated from Korea University with a master's degree in public administration. In North Korea, my college degree and 10 years of military service were useless. The regime could block me from opportunities. But in South Korea, nobody, not even President Moon, can block my education and job applications.

The final suffering I had to overcome: Getting a job.

After I received my master's degree, I sent my resume to more than 100 companies. I was rejected 99% of the time. But finally, I got a stable job at a good company.

It was a struggle to overcome the various types of suffering, and it took a lot of hard work, but I am overcoming them and things are getting better and better.

Today I discussed my own experience with suffering in both North and South Korea, and demonstrated the difference between suffering in oppression and suffering in freedom.

In an oppressive country like North Korea, when you suffer, you don't have the freedom to solve your problems.

In a free country like South Korea, you may suffer, but you have the freedom to overcome your problems.

What's the difference between suffering in oppression and suffering in freedom? It is the opportunity to overcome that suffering. Whereas North Korea closes the door to movement and freedom, there is a door in South Korea through which we have the chance to pass on the way to a better life.

Eom's remarks were edited by Casey Lartigue Jr., editor of Voices from the North.