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Just because life in North Korea is difficult, it doesn't mean it’s any easier on the outside. North Korean defectors are often mistreated in other countries, especially in South Korea, and are discriminated against solely because they are North Korean. One woman described her difficulties living in South Korea after being separated from her family and living alone in South Korea.
This isn’t much of an issue about the North Korean state but rather the outside world. Individuals from lesser known areas of the world are often discriminated against and mistreated. Especially if they are on their own, it is difficult for them to adjust to a new environment where everyone is essentially different from them. Of course, North Koreans are no exception.
In South Korea, one extremely obvious giveaway that an individual is North Korean is their accent. In order to fit in with the mass, defectors often try to adapt to the standard dialect (the Seoul dialect), but changing one’s dialect permanently is not an easy task. If the North Korean dialect slips out or if the standard dialect isn’t perfected and there are hints of the North Korean dialect, South Koreans often change their opinion and turn their back on these North Korean individuals, even if the two parties were on good terms before hand and the North Korean may not have done anything wrong. This is one example of how North Koreans are discriminated against in South Korea.
There is also North Korean discrimination in the States, most notably in LA, where the North Korean population is densest, meaning this problem is not limited to just South Korea; although on different severities, it’s everywhere. Staying educated on North Korea, keeping an open mind when approaching the topic, and not jumping to conclusions, especially if a North Korean is an acquaintance, will allow North Koreans to adjust more easily in an already unfamiliar environment and worry less about their nationality.
Sydney P
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