AN ACADEMY JUST FOR DEFECTORS
These knowledge and experience gaps faced by North Koreans led another defector, Ms Nam Yeong Hwa, to run an academy just for them.
Ms Nam arrived in South Korea in 2003. She set up H Nuri Education Centre a decade later to train students in becoming certified accountants, then began taking in only North Koreans, who found it difficult to keep up with regular classes.
She said: “North Korean defectors often submit their resumes to various companies but give up because no matter how many resumes they submit, they can’t get interviews or responses.
“As a result, there aren’t many defectors who are employed and working. So I thought: ‘This must be what I need to do.’”
Defectors learned the Russian language back home and are not familiar with English, Ms Nam said. This makes learning how to use a computer keyboard difficult, and they end up repeating the same words frequently.
Variations in the Korean language following decades of separation compound the difficulties. They are often confused by “Konglish” – a combination of Korean and English that is commonly used in the South.
Such issues expose defectors to mockery and isolation even after they land a job.
“They often try to leave the company within three to six months,” Ms Nam noted.
“People might think their speech is a bit awkward, and when they ask questions, their colleagues often look at them like: ‘Why don’t you even know that?’ It makes them feel like they can’t fit in.”
Ms Heo Jin Hwa, a student at H Nuri Education Centre who defected from North Korea 12 years ago, said there was a “huge difference” between the reality of South Korea and what she imagined it to be.
“When North Koreans come here, we are adults, but we are like newborns,” she told CNA.
“If we can’t communicate at all, we’ll learn everything from the beginning. Lifestyle, culture, things like that.”
