After Leaving the Hanawon, an Institute that Helps North Korean Defectors Settle

“Anyone who can borrow money outside, raise your hand.”

On September 10, the Hanawon, an institute located in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province to help North Korean defectors settle, had its graduation (59th class), and an official of Hanawon brought up the subject of borrowing money to 152 North Korean defectors who are taking their first steps in South Korean society. This is because the initial subsidy that the government grants is less than the rent of their rental apartment. Therefore, the North Korean defectors can only provide themselves with a place to sleep if they can meet the difference.

A person named Yoo Jin (45, fictitious name), who did not have any connections in South Korea, could not arrange payments for the difference, which was in the thousands of won, and eventually had to stay alone in Hanawon, away from the other graduates. It has been 10 days now, but he cannot live like this forever. Three other graduates who could not arrange the money like Mr. Yoo have been living in an acquaintance’s house and have just recently arranged money and bought a new house.

North Korean Defectors Being Struck by Wall of Capitalism-

Matters do not get any better even if you graduate from Hanawon. A Mr. Choi (32, who entered South Korea this July), barely settled in a place in Seoul after borrowing one million-odd won from another North Korean defector. He gave a hard-luck story, mentioning that he doesn’t even have money to buy ramen because he poured all his initial financial aid received for settlement into the rent. He even thought about working at a construction site and called 13 places, but was refused every time because of his unfamiliar North Korean accent.

North Korean defectors who just settled are not able to receive loans from banks that are strict about keeping actual transaction records.

The situation is the same for Mr. Lee (42, who entered South Korea this July) as well. The first thing he did was to take broken refrigerators from a recycling bin from a nearby apartment and repair them. Mr. Lee said, “I didn’t know that I would be living in beggardom as soon as I left Hanawon.” As the mass immigration of North Korean defectors continues, the number of North Korean defectors who are not adapting to society like these people above is increasing.

The Support System that Encourages Evasion of the Law-

Despite the mass immigration situation of North Korean defectors, the government’s response is still insufficient. The content of immigrant education has not changed with the times. North Korean defectors learn foreign words such as “home shopping” and “mart” in the education course at Hanawon, but they are not provided with any technological education needed for adapting to society.

As a result, some North Korean defectors are using expedients as a remedy. They entrust their bankbooks to a usurer and use half of the money with a “discount.” Also, some North Korean defectors who are facing survival are even tempted to commit crimes. A Mr. Lee who just came from Hanawon 10 days ago, appeals, “In a situation with no job and starving for dinner, wouldn’t anyone be tempted to survive through stealing?”

The Government’s Dilemma-

The government is also in a dilemma. If the government provides financial aid in full, the financial aid given to defectors for settlement would go into a broker’s hand and instigate another mass immigration, and if the government lowers the initial financial aid for settlement to prevent this situation, North Korean defectors will face hardships in initial self-support.

The government named the Patriots and Veterans Administration Agency as the organization that handles North Korean defector matters in the early 1990s when the South and North were competing for the establishment, and changed the responsible agency to the Ministry of Health and Welfare in the mid-1990s when the mass immigration of North Koreans started to raise concerns over the food supply. But after the defection of approximately 10,000 North Koreans, the government acknowledged the North Korean defector problem as a testing stand for the social integration and changed the ministry in charge to the Ministry of Unification.

Accordingly, the basis for policy on North Korean defectors has changed. It has started to focus more on self-support than on financial aid. A government official said, “Instead of giving money to North Korean defectors, we need to build their self-supporting ability.” However, even as the general outline has changed, it seems like the hardships of the North Korean defectors will become aggravated for a while, meaning that the details haven’t changed at all.

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