Defector achieves dream of becoming social worker

Choo Na Rae, a defector from North Korea’s North Hamgyeong Province, says she could never have imagined leaving her country as a child. After constant indoctrination telling her that North Korea was the greatest nation on earth, the thought of leaving simply did not occur to her. 
But when it became difficult to survive in the North, Choo decided that she had to find her relatives in China, where she was greeted by a shocking new world quite different from the one she was used to. “I was surprised to see that rice was being used even in dog food in China,” she said.
But Choo returned to North Korea because it was only meant as a temporary trip to ask for money from her relatives. But after she returned, she began to feel that everything she previously believed was a lie, and eventually decided that she wanted to leave the country for good. Choo set off for Qingdao, Shandong Province, in 2007.
A Difficult life in China
After arriving in the strange new city, Choo did not have anyone to rely upon except her husband. She also knew that she had to continue to push for success despite the fact that she couldn’t speak Chinese. 
She found an opportunity in a South Korean restaurant, where she had to learn an entirely new style of cooking than what she knew in North Korea. She learned a lot from cookbooks in the restaurant, and every day would wake up early and go to the market to pick out ingredients from the book. She then went to the restaurant and practiced her skills. 
Even though Choo had a husband and a job, life in China remained difficult. Because of her status as an illegal immigrant, she constantly feared being caught by the police, even going as far as to acquire a fake ID to help evade detection. However, she feared that her lack of Chinese language skills may eventually get her in trouble. 

Arriving in South Korea
Choo resolved to finally make the move to South Korea, receiving the help of her friends to find a broker who would escort her along the journey. This time, thanks to the many South Korean movies and dramas that she had watched, arriving in her new home was not quite as jarring of an experience.
After going through the required resettlement period at Hanawon, Choo received her new housing assignment in Bucheon (near Seoul) as part of her aid package. Although it was a bit smaller than her home in China, she said, “I grew up learning about the differences between our socialist system and the capitalist system, but I now know that we are one people, and I am thankful to (the South) for providing me with this home.”
Choo immediately began searching for work, walking around her neighborhood inquiring in as many places as she could. She was given an interview for a sales position in a clothing store in her local sijang (market), but did not get the job in the end. “They told me that I should expect a call after the interview, but the call never came. I was really upset at the time, but now I have come to understand why,” she explained.
Eventually, Choo found a job working for a remote control manufacturer. For two years, she endured long working hours and constant overtime, from 9 a.m. until 1 a.m. But she was not about to settle for this lifestyle.
A new dream
Though she was able to earn money through her job, what Choo really wanted was to continue her education and achieve her dream of becoming a social worker. For 4 years, Choo studied and watched lectures online through a cyber university, often until the early morning hours. 
Despite the many times that she felt like giving up, Choo was reminded of the opportunity she had as a 40-year-old attending university – an impossible proposition in North Korea – and felt a renewed sense of motivation.
In the end, her hard work paid off, and Choo is now working as a counselor for other defectors in South Korea. Through her work, Choo is able to recall her difficult experiences to relate to her counterparts, to empathize and offer courage and advice to others going through similar hardships as she once did.
Five years after her arrival, Choo’s husband and daughter were also finally able to make it to South Korea. She says that she wanted to prepare a wonderful home for her daughter before she arrived, and now that her whole family is together, she says that her dreams have finally come true. 
“I think that even though I do not have much time to relax, I feel a sense of responsibility to give back and help people, since I have been given so much by South Korea,” Choo said, adding that she plans to continue helping other defectors and all those who feel alienated as she once did. 
※This article was made possible in part by funding from the Korea Press Foundation