 Daily NK’s former China correspondent Lee Sang Yong speaks at the May 29th Round Panel Series in Seoul. Image: Daily NK |
Daily NK’s Round Panel Series event on
May 29th concluded successfully, with former China correspondent
Lee Sang Yong detailing his experiences living around and interviewing North Koreans in China,
particularly in the border city of Dandong. Lee was able to interview approximately 200 North Korean individuals prior to his shocking deportation in 2012.
Lee’s first interviewee was
typical of many North Koreans in Dandong; it was the interviewee’s first trip outside of the
country, he recalled. She had a dramatic change of heart upon experiencing China for
the first time, and desperately did not want to return. Many North Koreans traveling to China spend a large
proportion of their savings on bribes, Lee explained, often falling into debt
that they cannot pay back, providing another keen incentive to stay.
Some North Korean elites send their children to China to study, although this can prove risky, he went on. The
students are closely monitored and are not permitted to talk to South Koreans or to drink socially with their peers. Violations tend to result in consequences for whole families, with fathers risking dismissal from
their posts. According to Lee, these students are quite aware of the differences
between their country and the outside world, but have little option as to how to move forward.
Similarly striking for Lee during his time in China was the
sight of North Korean businessmen driving expensive cars and even
listening to South Korean CDs. Just like the children of the wealthy elite,
these businessmen are highly cognizant of the standard of living in North Korea
in comparison with its neighbors.
Defector and Daily NK reporter Oh Se Hyek then addressed the
audience, detailing his up-to-date experiences conducting interviews in China with North Koreans. Among other things, Oh said he gleaned some of
the habits of relatively affluent North Korean businessmen.
By way of
example, the cheapest rooms in one particular hotel they are known to frequent
can cost upwards of US$60 per night, he said. Moreover, Oh explained how some Chinese are now in the
practice of buying North Korean art at high prices, seemingly convinced that its
value will skyrocket following future unification.
