After watching South Korean lifestyle TV programs, I decided to defect from North Korea because I learned that South Korea would accept us, so I chose South Korea. If given the choice to go to China, I wouldn’t go.”
Last October, a young North Korean woman and her mother sailed to South Korea via the Sea of Japan (referred to as the “East Sea” in Korea). Recently, she testified at the release of the “2024 North Korean Human Rights Report” under the South Korean Ministry of Unification, making the above remarks.
The woman, in her early twenties and defecting from North Korea, known as A, mentioned that during her life in North Korea, she often watched South Korean dramas and programs, all acquired from people in China.
“Among the popular South Korean dramas among North Korean youth are ‘Winter Sonata,’ ‘Autumn in My Heart,’ ‘Gentleman and Miss,’ ‘Itaewon Class,’ ‘Descendants of the Sun,’ ‘What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim,’ ‘Heirs,’ ‘My Love from the Star,’ and many more… When I saw these contents on TV, I felt the most shaken: Why do we have to live like this?”
“We watched programs produced by South Korean TV stations and began considering going to South Korea upon realizing how South Korea would accept us. Because if given the choice to go to China, I wouldn’t go. If I were to live in a country that is not my own nationality, I don’t think I could go on. Since I knew that South Korea would accept us, I took the risk to come over. If living conditions couldn’t be guaranteed, then living here or in North Korea would be the same to me,” she explained her reason for defecting to South Korea.
A also mentioned that she couldn’t bear the miserable life in North Korea and had attempted suicide, stating, “There, every hour, every minute, every second felt suffocating.”
However, by watching South Korean TV programs, she started harboring hope and dreams for the outside world, no longer able to continue living in North Korea.
She and her mother boarded a boat to escape North Korea, enduring rough seas along the way. But that didn’t deter her determination to seek freedom. “Even if there was a 70% chance of death during the escape, I didn’t want to live like that anymore.” Despite knowing the high probability of death, she and her mother still risked their lives to attempt escape and successfully managed it.
A mentioned that in reality, many North Koreans didn’t know how to watch South Korean TV. “Due to being busy making a living, many people didn’t have time to pay attention to (watching South Korean TV). They are unaware of the workings of the world… Few people know how South Korea treats us.”
She said that if more North Koreans could watch South Korean TV programs, they might all attempt defection. However, such instances are rare, one reason being the daily screenings carried out by North Korean authorities.
She also discussed that there are fewer people escaping from North Korea now because all routes are blocked, and anyone discovered by the military to have intentions to defect will be immediately executed.
Regarding the residents of North Korea’s view on Kim Jong Un, she said, “In fact, we can’t speak ill of Kim Jong Un in public,” but among close friends and family, such sentiments are expressed. She further elucidated that in conversations among defectors, no one has a good word to say about Kim Jong Un. Similarly, while people in North Korea do not openly express it, internally, there is resentment towards Kim Jong Un.
A also introduced that when North Korean youth discuss Kim Jong Un, the common expressions used are: “Why are we so distressed now? What’s the use of a king without the people? The officials above are all bad,” and so on.
Furthermore, she explained that there are many examples of young people being executed for watching South Korean dramas, the country prohibiting all commercial activities, leading to most people facing difficult lives, hence leaving a very negative impression of Kim Jong Un.
“In the past, the North Korean people were actually unaware of human rights issues… But now, we also begin to advocate for human rights,” A said, noting that North Korean residents are starting to pay attention to human rights issues.
“Why do they not respect us in terms of human rights?… If during a fight, one loses a tooth, the assailant will be sent to labor reform camps due to human rights issues; North Korea also has such laws… Although they aren’t enforced when we are unaware, if we protest knowing these laws, sometimes it works…” she expressed that to protest more effectively, she studied some laws concerning human rights while in North Korea.
She further expressed that the international community’s attention to human rights issues in North Korea contributes to improving the human rights situation. “In detention centers in North Korea, when someone subjected to torture screams loudly, the perpetrators scold them for not shouting loudly. This is because there are too many people internationally speaking up for North Korean human rights issues… Therefore, I believe it’s necessary to condemn North Korean human rights issues more internationally.”
She earnestly stated, “Currently in North Korea, the number of people suffering due to human rights violations is countless, they struggle to even breathe, so I hope the international community can pay more attention to human rights issues.”