Jang Myung Ho (50) is a North Korean defector who has been in South Korea for nine years now. Having lived in two starkly contrasting societies, whenever he compares his present and his past he feels an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment.
Mr. Jang may not make tons of money or work in a highly-coveted position with the government or a renowned company, but regardless of how others see it, he knows what he’s gone through to get himself where he is today. Whenever he was close to giving up, he found solace in a mantra of sorts, repeating to himself, “Don’t give up. Even if you can’t see the end of the
road, do what you can, believe, work hard, and you will make your dreams come
true.”
As
soon as he set foot on South Korean soil, Mr. Jang was determined to do
everything he could to create a new life for himself. Unfortunately, that feeling was fleeting, slowly fading away along with his expectations. He came to the South to experience a free existence, but struggling to survive in an alien–albeit developed–society slowly chipped away at his mettle–and more detrimentally, the dreams he had spent so long cultivating.
These notions of overwhelming dejection were exacerbated by the crushing guilt of leaving his family behind in North Korea. Psychologically, he often found it too much to bear. Still, he persevered, securing a welding job at a construction factory by day and attending school to become a electric technician by night. A year and a half of unflagging labor enabled him to earn enough money to finally bring his family from North Korea and find a better job.
Overcoming Barriers
Unfortunately, his difficulties did not stop there: cultural barriers were still a major hurdle for Mr. Jang. Frequently mocked for everything from his confusion on which door to use to the mistakes he made when interacting with co-workers things were tough for him at work. He was shocked at how blatant other employees were in their speculation as to how a North Korean defector secured a position at a superintendent’s office; many dropped by his office–dispensing with attempts at any pretense– to ogle at the man behind the strange accent they so frequently heard through the intercom.
It was even more difficult to
overcome the limits he had unconsciously set for himself in his own mind. He clung to the belief that his family would live well no matter
where they were and refused to let a situation fraught with discouragement deter him from realizing this goal.
So he pressed on, taking classes on the weekends to fix his pronunciation and even recording himself speaking to practice after work. After he moved, he familiarized
himself with the foreign structure and facilities of his new home. He tried to find the pros in every situation and see this new society in which he found himself in a more positive light. These labors were far from futile; in fact, they finally helped him cast of all the burdens that had been weighing him down.
“Finding yourself in a new
environment can be difficult, but it’s not a problem. Your life changes when
you change your perspective. They say that it’s important to have a vision in
order to overcome your difficulties,” Mr. Jang says. “However, for us, being
able to adapt is the key to success.”
Mr. Jang places significant value on self-improvement, still heading to the library on weekends and after work to study. After a year at his job, he became a licensed electrical technician and went on to pass the written test to become
a fire-fighting equipment engineer as well. “I worked hard for an entire year.
My 365 days did not pass in vain,” Mr. Jang asserts.
He was promoted to a management position, and currently oversees 20 employees, serving as both the head of the management and electrical departments. He refused to let his bias and neglect win, overcoming every obstacle in his way. He slept
a little less on the weekends, worked hard, and it paid off. “I’m not
lagging behind other Koreans anymore. I can confidently stand with them, side-by-side,” he said.
Jang says he has the luck one could ask for, just by having the chance to live in South Korea. “This is the fruit from the labor and sweat
of creating my own happiness. I think that living as a rich man in my mind and sweating to make my dreams a reality are both things that gave me happiness. Happiness, I think, comes from within.” he concluded.
*This article was made possible by support from the Korea Hana Foundation [the North Korean Refugees Foundation].
