North Korean refugees are the small piece of unification to South Korea so that South Koreans should be more warmhearted to North Korean refugees.

Once North Korean refugees successfully arrive in South Korea, usually they are taken in hand by the National Intelligent Service (Korean CIA) and interviewed for several weeks to determine that they are true refugees or North Korean spies or Chinse-Koreans.

After the interview with Korean CIA, North Korean refugees are sent to the Unification Ministry's Half-way House, Hanawon for three months to prepare for the new life in South Korea. They receive social orientation and job training at Hanawon.

After they graduate from Hanawon, they are given financial assistance and help in finding jobs and houses.

Even though their living conditions are much better comparing with what they had experienced in North Korea, they feel something insufficient with their new life in South Korea.

Some North Korean defectors miss their families they left behind, and feel guilty for having left them at North Korean regime who will persecute their families for having a family member who left North Korea. Some North Korean defectors don’t feel they are fully accepted by South Korea.

I hear that some former North Korean refugees return to North Korea.
How is it possible?
Who is responsible for these unbelievable happenings?
North Koreans are still suffering from starvation. Why do they want to return to North Korea?
Foods are not everything.

Someday the 23 million people in North Korea and the 46 million citizens of South Korea will live together under one government.

If North Korean refugees have much difficulty in adjusting themselves to their new lives in South Korea or if North Korean refugees feel cold shoulder from South Koreans or if North Korean refugees are not treated by neighbors in a warm and appropriate way in South Korea, the peaceful and harmonious unification of Korea will be impossible and beyond the dreams.

Even though South Koreans and North Koreans use the common language, the gap and difference in daily expressions, lifestyle, favorite tastes of foods, music, movie, television programs, dances have been bigger and bigger since Korea was divided in 1948.

North Koreans need time and strong support including financial assistance. South Korean people must be more warm-hearted toward North Korean refugees because they are the small piece of the unification of South Korea.

If North Korean refugees cannot be happy with their new lives in South Korea, how can South Korea expect the successful and harmonious unification of Korea?



https://www.brookings.edu/research/embracing-north-korean-defectors-the-small-unification-of-korea/