[imText1]The era of 20,000 North Korean defectors has come to South Korea and with it a growing social constituency. On 12th November 2010, The Daily NK met with Hong Soon Kyung, the newly-appointed President of the Committee for Democratization of North Korea and successor to Hwang Jang Yop, who passed away last month, to discuss the problems and solutions of defector society.<\/p>\n
Hong emphasized that in order for North Korean defectors to live well as part of South Korean society, they must work hard for their own cause, but that it must be accompanied by improvements in settlement support programs and changes in perception towards the defectors from South Korean society as a whole.<\/p>\n
\u201cNorth Korean defectors must actively strive to settle into the South Korean community, all the while not forgetting their past in the North,\u201d says Hong.<\/p>\n
During the interview, Hong dwelled repeatedly on the final wishes of Hwang Jang Yop. Hong was one of Hwang\u2019s closest aides, and it is clear how much he misses him, as well as the degree of frustration he felt at the time of Hwang\u2019s passing.<\/p>\n
Hong was working as an advisor at the North Korean embassy in Bangkok in 1999 when he evaded Pyongyang\u2019s attempt to repatriate him and escaped to South Korea. He has been working as a research fellow at a national research institute ever since.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mission that is left for today\u2019s North Korean defectors is to realize the dreams of Hwang, who spent his whole life in the South working for the democratization of North Korea,\u201d Hong believes.<\/p>\n
Hong stresses his intent to put the democratization of North Korea and the unity of the North Korean defector community at the top of his list of priorities. He also says that the Committee will \u201cfocus on raising people who can contribute to the democratization of North Korea as well as the reunification of the peninsula, by means of education\u201d.<\/p>\n
Below is an excerpt from The Daily NK\u2019s interview with Hong.<\/p>\n
– What is in the future for the Committee for Democratization of North Korea?<\/font><\/p>\n The Committee for Democratization of North Korea is a union of North Korean defector groups that was first organized to serve a central role between them. Although our ex-President, Hwang Jang Yop, who held the group together, has passed away, the group will continue to play a critical role for defectors in accordance with its original mission. We plan to focus on raising people who can contribute to the democratization of North Korea as well as the reunification of the peninsula by means of education. We will also work to improve the human rights conditions of defectors abroad and of the North Korean people. Furthermore, we will work to resolve legal and social problems that arise during defectors\u2019 initial settlement into South Korean society.<\/p>\n – Some say that Hwang Jang Yop\u2019s passing means that North Korean defector society has lost its focal point. What are your thoughts?<\/font><\/p>\n Hwang was the leader of the defectors, as well as a theoretician for the democratization of North Korea. His theory against dictatorship is grounded in a human-centered philosophy. He also combined critical schools of thought on past philosophies including Marxism, creating his own philosophy in fighting for world democracy. This is why it is most important for the people who share his commitment to such principles to unite and build upon his legacy.<\/p>\n – In an era of more than 20,000 defectors, what efforts are required of the defectors for them to lead a dignified life as part of South Korean society?<\/font><\/p>\n Defectors have risked their lives to come to the Republic of Korea and escape from the pain of being unable to live properly or attain a certain state of living no matter how much work they put in. There are three areas that require work here, in order for them to settle in successfully.<\/p>\n First of all, the defectors must not erase their memories of life in the North. Comparing the North and the South, the standard of life and human rights conditions are vastly different. It is critical that one keeps one\u2019s perspective and works on behalf of oneself to settle in. If the desire to live in the same manner as South Koreans who were born and raised here becomes a priority, one is likely to suffer a sense of shame. It is essential to work on the basis that a good life can only be achieved one step at a time. <\/p>\n I also wish that the government would conduct more research on the subject of how defectors can better attain jobs, and would legally guarantee the employment of defectors. Currently, defectors are stripped of initial benefits once they find jobs, and this must be revised. We must think of ways to ensure that more benefits go to those who are employed, as opposed to those who aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n Lastly, peoples\u2019 perceptions of North Korean defectors must change. If, for example, the press releases an article saying that a spy has been found among the defectors, this breeds a certain misperception of the entire community of defectors. Spies are just spies. I believe that the media needs to take such issues into account.<\/p>\n – It has been said that more active work needs to be done by the defectors in order to democratize North Korea and to bring about reunification. What are your thoughts?<\/font><\/p>\n North Korean defectors shouldn\u2019t merely earn a living in South Korea, but must also work for the democratization of their homeland and for reunification. By organizing those defectors with such high aspirations well, a lot can be done in terms of setting the basis for either democratizing North Korea or reunifying the peninsula. Therefore, it is necessary for the 40 or so active North Korean defector groups to unite, in order to broaden their scope of activity.<\/p>\n Furthermore, each group must play its own part in helping the defectors align themselves with reality, and in raising their awareness of reunification. One must take into account, however, that for them to work on such ideals, employment and settlement problems must be taken care of. If conditions permit, we will organize events in which the defectors can come together, such as commemoration ceremonies, marathons and walk-a-thons.<\/p>\n – The North Korean Human Rights Act is still pending approval in the National Assembly. What kind of measures are there to resolve this?<\/font><\/p>\n The North Korean Human Rights Act should have been enacted first by the Republic of Korea, but the United States and Japan were ahead of us. This is quite embarrassing. As a country directly involved in the matter, the Republic of Korea should immediately establish the North Korean Human Rights Act. The Democratic Party and others are against it, but this is no different from ignoring human rights abuses and suffering happening right beside you. We plan to negotiate with other defector groups to announce a statement addressed to the National Assembly urging approval of the act, and will also work to better inform the public.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [imText1]The era of 20,000 North Korean defectors has come to South Korea and with it a growing social constituency. On 12th November 2010, The Daily NK met with Hong Soon Kyung, the newly-appointed President of the Committee for Democratization of North Korea and successor to Hwang Jang Yop, who passed away last month, to discuss […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":154,"featured_media":13758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[644],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-analysis-and-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\n