South Korean people are not interested in North Koreans," said Kang Won-cheol , a 25-year-old university student who left North Korea in 2000. "They see us as foreigners, as different from them.
They made me feel I am a second-class citizen here," a refugee who used the pseudonym Kim Kum-suk told the semi-official Yonhap news agency earlier this year. "Some of them treated me like a Vietnamese and Philippine bride they can buy, while others sounded like they were looking for a housemaid-type wife."
A sense of enduring humiliation can gnaw at the refugees.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20070927...gn_editors_ytop
South and North Korea are brothers, but technically are the same. I have hope that some day these 2 nations will achieve what Germany did.
Full Version: N. Korean defectors feel abandoned in South
As new-comers into this capitalist country, they have to work their way up from somewhere near the bottom. Unlike most Koreans, they didn't have the time to accumulate wealth through decades of hard work. But even that "near-the-bottom" life is by far better than life in North Korea, not to mention they are generously rewarded with a lump sum of money to help them get started. Just work an easy part-time job at some cheap convenient store for a month and you'll have earned almost double the year worth of wage in North Korea. Or five to seven days of hard labor at a construction site will do.
I agree S.K, maybe there's a fine line, that N.Koreans have to realize that they left their home in order for a better life, however just like everyones else and anyone else leaveing their mothers womb. There will times of hardships and biteing the bullet.
That incdicates Koreans are the normal people.
The barriers of the unification are not only the economic issues, moreover, it's the social issues.
After the honeymoon is over, people have to face the reality. There are huge gaps in terms of economy, way of thinking...
SK think NK are cheap labors, and NK think they deserve the equality, better treatment, brotherly passion...
Mentality and bitterness of "poor relatives" will also cause the huge social problem.
These are struggles to be lasted for generations.
The barriers of the unification are not only the economic issues, moreover, it's the social issues.
After the honeymoon is over, people have to face the reality. There are huge gaps in terms of economy, way of thinking...
SK think NK are cheap labors, and NK think they deserve the equality, better treatment, brotherly passion...
Mentality and bitterness of "poor relatives" will also cause the huge social problem.
These are struggles to be lasted for generations.
The first thing the N.korea defectors should be taught is that in capitalist country there are winners and losers and this fact is visible. There r the people who dress in suite and tie to work every morning and those who sleep in the street corner and homeless.
S.korean gov. is generous enough to give them the monthly stipend for survival and an education to adjust to a new society.
They the defectors have to expect to start from the bottom. And any sort of pride will not help. And equality is only found in the dictionary and text books, never in real capitalist society.
One note: the writer Lankov is an ex-russian who teaches in S.korea and he writes with comedy, and he seems to find joy in ridiculing socialist democratic society in contrast to capitalist. must filter out his comical sensationalist claims for objectivity.
S.korean gov. is generous enough to give them the monthly stipend for survival and an education to adjust to a new society.
They the defectors have to expect to start from the bottom. And any sort of pride will not help. And equality is only found in the dictionary and text books, never in real capitalist society.
One note: the writer Lankov is an ex-russian who teaches in S.korea and he writes with comedy, and he seems to find joy in ridiculing socialist democratic society in contrast to capitalist. must filter out his comical sensationalist claims for objectivity.
The reason they feel abandoned is because they were unrealistically expecting to be treated specially. But they are wrong, they start at the bottom just like anyone else and they have to work their way to the top.
edit: Santaklaws, i swear i didn't read your post before writing this. But at least we agree.
edit: Santaklaws, i swear i didn't read your post before writing this. But at least we agree.
QUOTE(choson1 @ Sep 28 2007, 11:58 PM) 
The reason they feel abandoned is because they were unrealistically expecting to be treated specially. But they are wrong, they start at the bottom just like anyone else and they have to work their way to the top.
edit: Santaklaws, i swear i didn't read your post before writing this. But at least we agree.
edit: Santaklaws, i swear i didn't read your post before writing this. But at least we agree.
They ARE treated specially. Unlike others, they start off with generous financial support from the government.
QUOTE(SantaKlaws @ Sep 29 2007, 04:49 AM)
They ARE treated specially. Unlike others, they start off with generous financial support from the government.
I was talking in the context of the article about how South Koreans generally don't show special interest in North Koreans (the social ladder). Financial aid can be expected by refugees in any modernized country. Refugees usually leave everything behind and start off with nothing. If they are not given support, they will immediately end up trapped as bums on the street.
south koreans are defintely terrified by their northern counterparts
that is why they don't want anything to do with them
that is why they don't want anything to do with them
QUOTE(Joh293 @ Sep 29 2007, 07:08 PM)
south koreans are defintely terrified by their northern counterparts
that is why they don't want anything to do with them
that is why they don't want anything to do with them
?
QUOTE(choson1 @ Sep 29 2007, 08:50 AM)
I was talking in the context of the article about how South Koreans generally don't show special interest in North Koreans (the social ladder). Financial aid can be expected by refugees in any modernized country. Refugees usually leave everything behind and start off with nothing. If they are not given support, they will immediately end up trapped as bums on the street.
People in hectic capitalistic societies barely have time to care about there neighbors or have the time and finances to procreate. Do you think they're going to worried about refugees?
QUOTE(Joh293 @ Sep 29 2007, 05:08 PM)
south koreans are defintely terrified by their northern counterparts
that is why they don't want anything to do with them
that is why they don't want anything to do with them
Retarded.
QUOTE(SantaKlaws @ Sep 27 2007, 06:40 PM)
As new-comers into this capitalist country, they have to work their way up from somewhere near the bottom. Unlike most Koreans, they didn't have the time to accumulate wealth through decades of hard work. But even that "near-the-bottom" life is by far better than life in North Korea, not to mention they are generously rewarded with a lump sum of money to help them get started. Just work an easy part-time job at some cheap convenient store for a month and you'll have earned almost double the year worth of wage in North Korea. Or five to seven days of hard labor at a construction site will do.
Even if the money is 2 or 3x doesn't necessarily mean you are making more money. Things just cost more in SK.
QUOTE(SantaKlaws @ Sep 27 2007, 05:40 PM)
As new-comers into this capitalist country, they have to work their way up from somewhere near the bottom. Unlike most Koreans, they didn't have the time to accumulate wealth through decades of hard work. But even that "near-the-bottom" life is by far better than life in North Korea, not to mention they are generously rewarded with a lump sum of money to help them get started. Just work an easy part-time job at some cheap convenient store for a month and you'll have earned almost double the year worth of wage in North Korea. Or five to seven days of hard labor at a construction site will do.
Just an FYI, the amount of money that they receive has been greatly reduced over the past few years.
They do however get certain "grants" if they go to school and such.
QUOTE(chitownbroker @ Oct 3 2007, 12:01 PM)
People in hectic capitalistic societies barely have time to care about there neighbors or have the time and finances to procreate. Do you think they're going to worried about refugees?
The South Korean government does take care of North Korean refugees...
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