As marketization and Hallyu, or Korean
Wave, culture penetrates and spreads in the North, economic factors are
becoming important criteria to those out on the prowl for a partner. It is said
that relatives of defectors make good mates because the overseas remittances
help them live the high life, according to inside sources.
In a telephone conversation with Daily NK,
a source from North Hamgyong Province said, “Once upon a time, people with
family members who had defected to South Korea were considered traitors. But
things have changed significantly. These days the trends have reversed
completely. Guys and gals with defector relatives make for attractive brides
and grooms.”
Daily NK crosschecked this information with
a source in South Hamgyong Province and another informant in Yanggang Province.
“Unlike the previous generation, today’s
youth aren’t motivated by political connections. Instead, there is a general
consensus that families with defectors have a reliable financial support system
to rely on when times get tough,” she said, explaining why young people from
these families have become top notch marriage prospects.
Although the restrictions on market
activity have been relaxed significantly, “making a living in North Korea is
still extremely difficult for most folks,” she asserted. “That’s why the
perception has changed and young people with defector parents have become the
cream of the crop in the dating world.”
According to the source, North Koreans who
had family members defect to the South were previously looked down upon as
lower class because they were on the receiving end of surveillance and
suspicion from the authorities. But now that these defectors have more stable
finances than even cadres and party members, their social status has elevated.
Matchmakers in North Korea have taken
notice of this trend. The days of discriminating against those with defectors
in the family has ended. These days, matchmakers are known to give subtle hints
that the prospective partner they want to introduce is connected to South Korea
through defector relatives.
“This enhances their attractiveness as a
mate,” the source said.
“Now that North Koreans have become
accustomed to watching Korean dramas and using South Korean made goods, they
have all come to realize life is better in the South. That’s why perceptions on
defectors in the family have changed so rapidly. Matchmakers say things like,
‘This person has a certain somebody living on the other side,’ that clients
take into strong consideration when weighing their options.”
Others in the higher echelons of power have
also profited from this trend. “Party cadres have also been known to hit up these
families for bribes under this or that pretense. For example, authorities from
the Ministry of People’s Safety and the State Security Department (SSD) make
brazen demands for bribes to such families,” she concluded.
