Hey guys, it's Steve
from Asian Boss. Recently, we had a chance to interview a couple of North Korean defectors. In the previous video, they shared their thoughts on what's happening in North Korea so you should watch that video first if you haven't already. In this video, you're going to hear how their lives have changed since arriving in South Korea and how they feel about South Korean society in general. Let's get to it. How long has it been since you arrived in South Korea? It's been 9 years. -It's been 10 years.
- Right. Could you explain how you
came to settle in South Korea? How did you get here? -From China, I mean.
-Right. So I was in China for about 4 years. The truth is, if China hadn't tried to repatriate us back to North Korea, we would've stayed. But when China hosted the
2008 Olympics, they began mass deportation of
North Korean defectors. During the Beijing Olympics,
the Chinese government ordered defectors to be captured and
sent back to North Korea. So it was too dangerous for us
to stay in China. When the authorities started
searching houses, my mom and I were cornered like rats. We could feel them getting closer. We were running out of places to hide. If we were going to die either way,
we thought we might as well die
searching for freedom. Let's at least give it a shot. So how do you get to South Korea? I came via Mongolia. I understand that South Korea and Mongolia had an unofficial agreement at the time. Rather than repatriating defectors
back to North Korea, Mongolia would send them to
South Korea in exchange for natural resources like trees
needed for the deserts. My mom and I... we had to go through China,
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to get to South Korea. So how did you feel when you
touched down at Incheon Airport? When I arrived at Incheon Airport, I was just blown away. It was like heaven. There were so many lights,
which were so pretty. I felt as though I travelled through time, went past 40 years and arrived in the future. If someone asked me when was
the happiest moment in my life, it'd be that moment on
February 8, 2006. Because when I was living
in China as a defector, my day would start like this. As soon as I wake up, I'd check if I was still
in the same room or if I was in prison. That daily routine lasted for 4 years. Even to this day, whenever
I hear the sound of sirens, whether it'd be from a fire truck,
ambulance or police car, I get goose bumps and start
breaking into a cold sweat. Anyway... that's what my life was like. So as the plane was arriving at the airport, I heard the announcement: "We'll soon be arriving so
please fasten your seatbelt." When I heard the announcement... I still can't explain how I felt at the time, a lot of mixed emotions... I felt something burning
inside of me and my face got flushed and
my eyes got teary. When I looked around to see
if that was just me... at the time, there were all 8 defectors... and we were all crying. So was there anyone there
waiting for you guys? Yes, people from the National
Intelligence Service (NIS). Because they knew
you were coming? Yes, they came out to greet us. There was an interesting episode. Before I boarded the plane
from Mongolia I was told by an NIS agent that for safety, when the plane
arrives in South Korea, we should remain seated even when the flight attendants
tell us to get off the plane. So we just sat there while
everyone else got off. It was just the 8 of us refusing to get off when the
flight attendants kept asking... until someone from the NIS
came to pick us up. So when the agent finally showed up... actually, I was very touched because as soon as he saw us, he said: "I sincerely welcome to South Korea." And I just started crying. Even now I get emotional just thinking about it. very emotional... Why were they nice to me? I was born in North Korea and
stayed loyal to the country but got treated like a criminal. I got abandoned my China because I wasn't their citizen, But the country that was
supposed to be my enemy welcomed me with open arms... I couldn't believe it. I didn't know those words
would touch me so much. Anyway, we got into a car and
when I looked outside, as opposed to seeing all
the Chinese street signs which I couldn't read and so was
always afraid of being caught, all I could see and hear was Korean. It was literally heaven and I was so happy. Afterwards, we wend into the NIS to
verify our defector status, which took about 1 month. The NIS had to make sure we
weren't North Korean spies. -How do they do that?
- Well... They put you on lie detectors to monitor your heart rate in case you lie. So things like that. Also, Chinese people
of Korean descent know that North Koreans
can get a lot of help here so they sometimes pretend
to be North Koreans and try to get money from the
South Korean government. So they also test if you are
Chinese-Korean or North Korean. After that, you get transferred to
an institution called "Hanawon". Like temporary housing? Yes, you live there but you are not allowed to go outside. You just get educated on how
South Korea works. In Hanawon, they... teach you how to use the
remote, TV and elevators etc because we don't know anything. -Like the basics.
-Right. So we get trained for about 3 months. They even teach you how to ride a bus. But I slept through the training on to ride a bus. Yeah, I fell asleep. So when I finally got out to join society, I totally didn't know how to ride a bus. I figured I could just... copy what people in
front of me were doing. So I went to a bus stop, and saw a man and a woman
lining up in front of me. When a bus arrived, the man got on and tapped
his butt onto the machine. He literally tapped his butt. I was like "In Korea, all guys
have to do is tap their butts!" You didn't realize his bus
card was on the back pocket. Next, the woman tapped her
handbag onto the machine. "Right, so men tap their butts to ride a bus and women just have to tap their handbags." Because I was obviously a girl, I just took off my backpack and tapped it. But whereas I could hear a
sound for the people before me, it didn't make any sound for me, which really impressed
me once again. "How could they tell I was from
North Korea and not make a sound?" That's what I thought. Then I thought...maybe I had to tap my butt like the man did. But I was too short to tap
my butt on the machine. -You couldn't reach it?
-Not with my butt. So I started jumping
trying to tap my butt, and the bus driver was like,
"what are you doing?" I was like,
"how do I get to this place?" "I can't make any sound." The driver then told me
not to worry about it so I got a free bus ride. I was very embarrassed so after that incident,
I studied about bus cards and figured out how to ride a bus and subway. So after you get out of Hanawon,
where do you go? You just join society. If you are a student, you go to school. What about housing? The government gives you a
place for 5 years, rent free. -Right. - They give you one. After 5 years, you have to go somewhere else... or you could stay and start paying rent. While you were living in South Korea, what did you find most fascinating
or positive about South Korea? First, they use a lot of English words. So even if they were speaking in
Korean, I couldn't understand them. For example, when I was in college... because it was my dream
to be a college student, I really wanted to study hard. But my professor would
say things like: "This semester, a presentation will be
done in a 'team' that 'networking' is a necessary
part of 'team play', and that there has to be a good 'communication'." I was like, "what did you say?" Best thing about South Korea? Really...first of all, you can enjoy freedom! I can say whatever I want and the government doesn't care. Can't you just say things in North Korea? No way! In North Korea, you should add a little like
"General Kim Jong-il". Whoever says "Kim Jong-il"
just by his name would just disappear the next day. So for example, if you say
"Kim Jong Un is fat!" What happens to you? You will be gone. -They take you away.
-Seriously? Even if you are with friends,
you can't say things like that. So when people find out that
you are North Korean, maybe from your accent, do they treat you differently? Yeah, I'd say it's a little different because South Koreans have
certain stereotypes about Chinese-Koreans
and North Koreans. What kind of stereotypes? They just assume that you are poor and look down on you. Especially when you go in
for a job interview and once they find out that
you're North Korean... it's like... "if you want to work in this company try not to reveal that
you are from North Korea." But I'm not ashamed of
being North Korean. Actually, I feel quite proud to have through all the hardships
to come to South Korea. but since South Koreans
could treat you differently, I think that's why companies don't want me to say where I'm from, which makes me really sad. Is North Korea better than
South Korea in any aspects? Like, this one thing is better in North Korea. Definitely the environment. The air is very clean. Especially at night, you can see so many stars in the sky... including the Milky Way. What about the people aspect? What's the difference between
North and South Koreans? That's probably what I
struggled with the most at first... People are very cold and unapproachable. In Seoul, you don't even know who lives next door. In North Korea, you know everyone in your neighborhood, like their names, their family members, how old they are, what they do for a living, etc. That's how much you know and everyone is very close. In that expect... you could say that North Korea is slightly better. South Koreans are obviously much wealthier. Right. But do they look happier than North Koreans to you? Not necessarily. In my opinion, South Koreans are so busy with work that they don't seem very happy. All they do is work. To buy nice houses and cars, they always chase money
rather than happiness. Thant's interesting. So you could be happier even
when you are "poor"? Even when I was starving in
North Korea, I was happy. In South Korea, even high school students
are stressed because of studying. For example, they have private tutoring from 7am. go to school and stay there till 7pm, then attend another private tutoring
institution until 11pm everyday. That can be stressful. But in North Korea, they tell you to go outside
and play after school. You only study in school. I actually feel sorry for them. -You mean South Koreans?
-Yes. Because... they are so busy competing
with everyone that they lose out on the
most important things like happiness, love and relationships, etc. They only focus on materialistic things. One of my most memorable
experiences in South Korea was when I was in college. A professor gave us an assignment to say "thank you, I love you"
to our parents and write about the parents' reactions and how we felt about their reactions. I was like,
"How is this even an assignment?" I thought it was some practical joke. But most students were freaking out like "How am I
supposed to do that!" So I figured it was difficult for them. But in my 3rd year of college I found myself contemplating suicide. -Why? -Because... as a North Korean, I just couldn't see how I could
compete with South Koreans to get ahead in life. I also suffer from hemophilia so when I bleed, it doesn't stop. Could someone sick like me
survive in South Korean society? No, I didn't think I could. So I decided to kill myself but at that moment, I felt a sense of regret. Other than the moment of
arriving at Incheon Airport, getting my social security
and student cards, I had no other happy memories. "I finally have freedom
after risking my life, but why is my life so miserable?" I asked myself that question and that's when I realized that I was pursuing the same materialistic
goals as my South Korean friends. Regrettably, South Korea has the highest suicide rate in
the world for 12 years in a row. When I first came to South Korea, I laughed at those that committed suicide but I finally understood their pain. I can see it from both perspectives now. So for the rest of my life, I'm going to do all I can to help reduce
the suicide rate in South Korea. You have a very inspiring vision, which I'm sure you will execute well. But have you ever been falsely accused of anything? Like being a North Korean spy? Have you seen any of those instances? Actually, my close friend's mom
got accused of being a spy and was investigated by the NIS. My friend was very angry about it. I remember him drinking a lot and expressing disappointment
towards South Korean society. Another example is... when a North Korean woman met with
future in-laws for the first time, they asked her if she was a spy. Also, because there are instances of
human trafficking of defectors in China, they asked if she had been previously married or had an illegitimate child, which was very humiliating
and hurtful to the woman. But they just said that to her face. I can understand why they asked, but the problem here is the stereotypes. Not all North Koreans are spies. This could also affect their employment. So we always have to be careful
and watch what we say and do. Why is that? Because if you say or do one wrong thing, people will say it's because you're North Korean. So it'll be difficult for people to
fully embrace defectors? I don't think it will ever be 100%. Maybe to some extent. How would North Koreans
feel about reunification? Ever since the Kim Il-Sung administration, North Koreans have always been taught that we are one Korea. Part of that was obviously politically-motivated brainwashing but still, we were always taught the two
Koreas need to be reunified. But the reason for the reunification... because we were told South
Korea was full of homeless people. -So North Korea had to rescue them.
-Right. What about now? Because people must be aware how wealthy South Korea is, Despite that, would North Koreans still want reunification? Probably not the ones in charge because they wouldn't want
to be held accountable for the crimes they committed. They know that. And ordinary citizens? Ordinary North Koreans have nothing to lose. So they'd want reunification because life is too tough right now. Do you personally want reunification? Of course I do. The reason why I started a
Youtube channel in South Korea was to help speed up the
process of reunification. That's why. How realistic is reunification though? The thing about reunification is... it will only work if both North
and South Koreans see eye to eye. Then how do you think South
Koreans feel about reunification? I had a little kid once asked me:
"What is renunciation?" So I had explain to him what it is. When I asked him why he didn't know about it, he said his parents never taught him what it was. He just had no basic idea even though he was in elementary school. Unless South Koreans are
properly educated on reunification, my guess is most of them wouldn't care. I'm a defector so of course I want
reunification more than anyone. Because I want to visit home. That said, I don't think the time is right. -Why do you say that?
-Because... South Korea is too uninformed about North Korea. South Korea's perception of North Korea is stuck in late 90s to early 2000s. Some high school and
college students are still fascinated to see me and ask me if we use the same language. That's how little education
there is about reunification. Even if North Koreans are brainwashed, at least they are constantly
being taught about reunification. There are over 30,000 North Korean
defectors in South Korea right now. Yet, people know nothing about North Koreans nor do they try to mix with them. Right now, North Koreans have such
a good impression of South Korea and as soon as we reunify,
they will come to South Korea. When they do, we can
expect a serious clash and the social conflict will exceed anything we can imagine. I think that will create serious
economic and cultural issues to the point Korea could fall. This is such a serious issue and
for that reason, I'm against it until people's mindsets change first. We hope that this video helped you become
better informed about North Korea and we'd like to ask you to do whatever you can to raise awareness on this issue. We also had a change to collaborate
with a YouTube channel "Digitalsoju TV" to make a more light-hearted video about North Koreans trying
American BBQ for the first time so make sure you check out their video as well. Thanks for watching and see you in the next video.
I like this part:
Imagine that.
Bus story is great but, I seriously cried when he described his experience on the plane and waiting for the NIS. I haven't gotten so emotional over someone I've never met in quite a while.
Her story of trying to catch the bus ... lol!
The culture shock for that guy must've been intense as fuck. The girl seemed to have acclimated a lot quicker.
This is a really great subreddit. Really interesting and varied content.
funny how the world ignored the mass deportation of people back to north korea during the olympics. that's a fucking travesty :/
TLDR: "Hey South Korea- I'll trade you this Asian for a tree."
-Mongolia
This is incredibly fascinating to me, and is really well done. The way the questions are asked and answered really helps us as viewers connect with them on a human level. It helps us, people who can't even imagine the level of transition these interviewees experienced, get even just a glimpse into what this situation was like for them. The confusion, terror, relief, joys, struggles of their journeys. Really nice piece.
The bus story is great