(Dan Tri) – North Korean defectors, especially women, flee to South Korea in the hope of a better life.
North Korean defector named Lim (Photo: AFP)
When Lim came to Korea, she thought life would be better for herself and the little daughter this woman brought with her.
Lim’s life changed 180 degrees when she had to take care of food, clothes, adapt to studies, and raise children.
After nine years in Korea, Lim is still struggling to make a living and she is one of hundreds of women in the same situation.
A typical example of this situation is the case of Han Sung-ok, a North Korean woman who struggled to maintain her livelihood and take care of her 6-year-old son with epilepsy.
Information about the death of two people caused a big `shock` in Korean public opinion last month.
“Han defected from North Korea to avoid starving to death, only to end up starving to death in South Korea,” commented activist Heo Kwang-il.
Vicious circle
The death that `shocked` Korean public opinion of a North Korean defector mother and child (Photo: AFP)
Most North Korean defectors often have to go through China, then take a detour to reach South Korea.
As the eldest child in the family, when he was 24 years old, Lim decided to go to China to earn a living to support his family.
Lim described life with her husband as `imprisonment`, which is why after four years, she decided to escape and successfully reached Korea.
At first, Lim took on many jobs but no one helped her take care of her young children.
Lim’s life is a bit better now that she has a job as a waitress and she has started sending money back to her family through intermediaries.
Life in South Korea has not been easy for North Korean defectors due to differences over the nearly 70 years since the two sides of the peninsula were divided after the 1953 war. However, for single mothers,
“When they have to take care of children, they can only get part-time, unstable jobs.
“Korean Dream”
The Korean government has a policy of providing defectors with an amount of 8 million won (6,600 USD) when they first arrive to help stabilize their lives.
Returning to Ms. Han’s case, Korean media said that the `starving mother` gave up asking for assistance because a district official required Han to have valid documents to prove her real condition.
Lee Na-kyung, a social activist who came from a defector background, said many North Koreans defected with the `Korean dream` but they were also quickly `disillusioned` because of the difficulties facing the war.
Lee came to Korea in 2006 with her children and disabled husband.
Lee considers her story just a `rare example of success` among tens of thousands of other defectors when she overcame difficulties and became a social activist.
In addition, the lifestyle of individualism in South Korea is also very different from North Korea.
“They said that even though they were poor in North Korea, they never felt isolated,” Lee said.
Lord Emperor
According to Channel News Asia
