In 2007, Soo-hyun Kim arrived in South Korea from Musan, North Hamgyong Province. Since his arrival, he has obtained more than 20 qualifications under the Human Resources Development Service of Korea’s qualification categories, from “electrical craftsman,” to “electrical engineer,” and “fire protection systems engineer.” These certifications have a reputation for being difficult to achieve. With all of them under his belt, he now has a job maintaining buildings and teaching certificate-related courses at an academy.
Furthermore, Kim states that there are many more certificates he wants to earn. Although he now lives happily with his wife and nine-year-old daughter, his initial foray into South Korean society was not so easy.
Doing what had to be done to survive
During his time in North Korea in the 1990s, he lived through the devastating famine known as the “Arduous March.” When times were hard, he began crossing the border into China with an antiques merchant, which became his turning point in entering the smuggling business. As a young man in his early twenties, he supported his family through smuggling. He was young, but worked hard and eventually everyone at the market knew who he was.
He began freely entering and exiting China as a smuggler, paying bribes to Ministry of State Security (MSS) officials and police officers. Although he was earning a living, it was difficult for him to save money.
He was also often arrested for smuggling activities. When one arrest led to him being shackled, he made up his mind to defect. With the help of his broker friend, he met up with his wife in China and together they left for South Korea.
In South Korea, another competition begins
Because he was familiar with China through his smuggling experience, entering South Korea was not difficult. Instead of going through a third country, he took a passenger ship directly from China to South Korea, and it was a relatively easy entrance into South Korea.
Because he had seen a lot of South Korean dramas and movies, he was not so surprised when he arrived in South Korea. But after his education at Hanawon (a settlement support center for North Korean refugees) ended, he struggled to find a job.
After receiving advice from an acquaintance in North Korea, he enrolled in a computer course with his wife. He practised using a computer each day for six months, studying for certificates in Powerpoint, Excel and more.
But because he needed to make a living, he started smuggling again – this time between South Korea and China. After being sentenced to probation during a bust, he decided to quit smuggling for good.
He grew anxious after losing his ability to make money, which put a strain on his marriage. Instead, he decided to focus on attending learning academies and eventually landed a job in an electrical room of a department store. He worked in shifts, and made a monthly salary of 1.3 million won. With his daughter, it was far from enough to support his family.
A competitive edge is needed to survive
When he worked shifts at the department store, he learned that if the electrical transformer had a load greater than a certain capacity, one legally needed a license to manage it. He then realized that a license gave one a competitive edge.
He began carrying a book around with him to learn how to become a “master electrical craftsman” by getting his “electrical engineer” license. He studied whenever he had time, and ended up with his certification within a year and a half. “If I was the interviewer and a South Korean and North Korean defector both showed up,” he said, “I would choose the South Korean candidate. So to be better than the others, I tried to get as many certificates as I could.”
He is determined to avoid complacency, and is focused on working toward a better future. His next goal is to earn a certificate in electrical engineering. This is no easy feat, and similar in difficulty to earning a PhD, but he is not giving up his studies.
“I hope North Koreans don’t think that life in South Korea is easy,” he said. “They need to know that unlike North Korea, doors are open to those who work hard and hard work is compensated.” He concluded saying that he will do his utmost to support his daughter in whatever she wants to do in life.
※This article was made possible in part by funding from the Korea Press Foundation
