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More North Koreans defecting through other countries
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bassexpander



Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:04 am    Post subject: More North Koreans defecting through other countries Reply with quote

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/03/120_21012.html

Has anyone talked at length with a North Korean person? Do they ever tell you what their first impression was of South Korea when they arrived, or how it differed from what they had been told?
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Hanson



Joined: 20 Oct 2004

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My wife's hairdresser (from a few years ago) was a NK defector. She didn't seem like she wanted to talk about it, but my wife loved her accent. My wife asked her a few questions, but the hairdresser just seemed like she wanted to be treated like everyone else and not be seen as "the defector"...
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nicholas_chiasson



Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Location: Samcheok

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

better than what they used to call me
"the defective" I thought they were saying "detective"
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cdninkorea



Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:23 am    Post subject: Re: More North Koreans defecting through other countries Reply with quote

bassexpander wrote:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/03/120_21012.html

Has anyone talked at length with a North Korean person? Do they ever tell you what their first impression was of South Korea when they arrived, or how it differed from what they had been told?


If you want to read alot fascinating first hand interviews with NK refugees, I highly recommend Under The Loving Care Of The Fatherly Leader by Bradley K. Martin. Interviewed people include former high party officials, concentration camp guards, concentration camp prisoners, military officials, etcetera.
Besides the interviews the book also goes into the history of personal histories of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, inter-Korea relations, North Korea relations with the rest of the world, and North Korea itself.

The copy I'm reading was bought by a friend at What The Book and is, I imagine, also available at Kyobo and other bookstores.
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bgreenster



Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Location: too far from the beach

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 8:31 am    Post subject: Re: More North Koreans defecting through other countries Reply with quote

cdninkorea wrote:
bassexpander wrote:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/03/120_21012.html

Has anyone talked at length with a North Korean person? Do they ever tell you what their first impression was of South Korea when they arrived, or how it differed from what they had been told?


If you want to read alot fascinating first hand interviews with NK refugees, I highly recommend Under The Loving Care Of The Fatherly Leader by Bradley K. Martin. Interviewed people include former high party officials, concentration camp guards, concentration camp prisoners, military officials, etcetera.
Besides the interviews the book also goes into the history of personal histories of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, inter-Korea relations, North Korea relations with the rest of the world, and North Korea itself.

The copy I'm reading was bought by a friend at What The Book and is, I imagine, also available at Kyobo and other bookstores.


I'm reading it too Cool Such a cool book, although not a fast read by any stretch of the imagination. So far I've been fascinated by the information on North and South Korean relations internationally in the past... definitely different than what I had thought. I fully recommend it to anyone living over here. I also bought mine at What the Book, and they had a bunch of used copies at the time...
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xteethx



Joined: 01 Aug 2007

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think most North Korean defectors get their first glimpse of a modernized city when they first escape to China so I don't think they are completely shocked by the modernity of Seoul.

When I was in Seoul, I befriended quite a few people who defected from NK and I have to say they were so loving, generous and fun; I miss them a lot. They are in their twenties and studying at a university and I met them at a church that helps support NK defectors. With the people I became close to I was able to ask about how they got to SK and I was really amazed at what they went through. But I don't think they dwell so much on the hardship they experienced in the past but just focus on doing well in school or getting a job like anyone else.

I also met a couple of North Korean refugees when I attended Catacombs, a weekly prayer meeting on Tuesday nights led by Tim Peters of Helping Hands Korea. If you are interested in going, check below link http://helpinghandskorea.org/howtohelp.htm

By the way, a SK movie about NK defectors is coming out in May. I don't know if it will be subtitled in another language but the trailer does look interesting
http://www.crossing2008.co.kr/
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safeblad



Joined: 17 Jul 2006

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:47 pm    Post subject: Re: More North Koreans defecting through other countries Reply with quote

bassexpander wrote:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/03/120_21012.html



sounds like good stuff... at least they avoid running straight into the arms of all those christian organisations in china who will feed them and eventually help to them south when they learn to love christ.
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mistermasan



Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Location: 10+ yrs on Dave's ESL cafe

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

delete
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caniff



Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SK's policy towards NK has, up until (hopefully) recently, been virtually vomit-inducing.

Then we get the noobs here asking "How can I go to North Korea and give them alot of money which they will use to support their evil regime so that I can then go show everyone a stamp from North Korea in my passport? I want to be like Marco Polo-cool!!"

Run-on sentence, but that seems to be the thought-processes of people who would support that dwarf and his cohorts for their own amusement while hundreds of thousand live in detention camps for thought crimes.

My moral compass tells me to stay out of that cesspool until the regime falls.
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mrgiles



Joined: 09 Jul 2007
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 4:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
My moral compass tells me to stay out of that cesspool until the regime falls.


dude i admire ur sentiment, but i hope u understand that if u pay tax and participate in south korean society (or american society for that matter), u are supporting the north korean regime as well. the aid nk gets from both countries is a big factor aiding in the continuation of that state.
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nobbyken



Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Location: Yongin ^^

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 4:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The constitution of both countries, North & South, states that anybody living in Korea (North & South) belongs to that country.
NKs say all Koreans belong to them and SK accepts all Koreans as belonging to SK.

Korean embassies in China and Thailand always help Koreans get back to South Korea.

A side note: I heard of one young, NK man say that he was so happy to get accepted into college in the North (while he was living there), because he was able to avoid army national service of 13 years.
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caniff



Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 4:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mrgiles wrote:
Quote:
My moral compass tells me to stay out of that cesspool until the regime falls.


dude i admire ur sentiment, but i hope u understand that if u pay tax and participate in south korean society (or american society for that matter), u are supporting the north korean regime as well. the aid nk gets from both countries is a big factor aiding in the continuation of that state.


I know this, which adds a little ambivalence to my choice of living here in SK, but I strongly feel that I don't need to add to the situation by taking a Disney tour through that utter joke of a country.

Nothing against (most of) the NK people, but that country sucks ass.

(One of the very few observations GW has made that I agree with).
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mrgiles



Joined: 09 Jul 2007
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I know this, which adds a little ambivalence to my choice of living here in SK, but I strongly feel that I don't need to add to the situation by taking a Disney tour through that utter joke of a country.


word.
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bassexpander



Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:59 pm    Post subject: Re: More North Koreans defecting through other countries Reply with quote

safeblad wrote:
bassexpander wrote:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/03/120_21012.html



sounds like good stuff... at least they avoid running straight into the arms of all those christian organisations in china who will feed them and eventually help to them south when they learn to love christ.


Generally, I find people like you are real pussys. You talk big to people like Christians because they'll let you get away with it. Try saying that to a group of Muslims on the street.

Picking on the people who won't physically attack you.

Weak. Very weak.
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JMO



Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Daegu

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:15 pm    Post subject: Re: More North Koreans defecting through other countries Reply with quote

bassexpander wrote:
safeblad wrote:
bassexpander wrote:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/03/120_21012.html



sounds like good stuff... at least they avoid running straight into the arms of all those christian organisations in china who will feed them and eventually help to them south when they learn to love christ.


Generally, I find people like you are real pussys. You talk big to people like Christians because they'll let you get away with it. Try saying that to a group of Muslims on the street.

Picking on the people who won't physically attack you.

Weak. Very weak.


Yes, only criticize people who will actually physically attack you. I was going to criticize George Bush's policy in Iraq, but well he won't physically attack me. I really dislike Manchester United but do you know what? It is highly unlikely that Alex will be around my house with a baseball bat.
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