Defectors juggle mixed sentiments on Korean detente

Members of different defector communities in Korea protest forced repatriation of defectors in front of the Chinese embassy in downtown Seoul in this 2017 file photo. / Korea Times

By Jung Da-min, Kim Ji-soo

The rapid pace toward peace is raising a mixed bag of questions for different groups of Koreans, long accustomed to division and tension on the peninsula following the 1950-53 Korean War.

For some 30,000 North Korean defectors who have settled in the South, however, the questions and apprehensions are about security and stability.

"I heard some North Korean defectors wept, in relief and joy, after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un mentioned North Korean defectors," said Ahn Chan-il, a defector who now heads the World Institute for North Korea Studies.

Ahn Chan-il / Korea Times file

In his talks with President Moon Jae-in at the April 27 Korea summit held at Panmunjeom, Kim said the "people whose hometowns are in North Korea, and defectors and the residents of Yeonpyeong Island who were worried about a possible attack are now watching with (anticipation) our meeting." Kim's use of the word "defectors" is seen as a political signal, as those who have defected have been blasted by the North Korean regime to date.

"Some Japanese news reports have been saying (in the detente mood) the North Korean defectors may be allowed to send money to North Korea or visit their hometowns. That would be a positive development," he said.

"Personally, I would not mind opening a North Korean cold noodle shop in my hometown of Sinuiju if and when the inter-Korean talks go well. That is one of the reasons I set up the institute. It is to learn about capitalism and entrepreneurial ways so that when the North attempts economic reforms, North Korean defectors would serve as agents of change," Ahn said over the phone.

"As they used to say, we may be losers in socialism but in capitalism, we are pioneers."

Others are less optimistic. In particular, claims by some including a liberal lawyers' group known as Minbyeon that the former Park Geun-hye government engineered the 2016 mass defection of a dozen North Korean restaurant workers are heightening concerns in defector communities. Appearing at the National Assembly Thursday, Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said that the restaurant workers defected voluntarily.

Choi Sung-guk, 39, said he felt enraged when seeing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un smiling in front of reporters. Choi, now a web cartoonist in the South, defected in 2010, after experiencing persecution in Pyongyang.

"I was making a living at my trade, selling South Korean movies," Choi said. "I was sentenced to prison three times, before I fled from my hometown."

Leaving his hometown was not an easy decision but there was no other choice, Choi said.

"I cannot trust Kim Jong-un that he will keep his word," he said.

"Would you believe it if a murderer who killed your family or friend comes to your door and says he now wants peace?"

Park Gwang-il (assumed name), 33, who defected from Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province, also expressed his fundamental doubts about the inter-Korean accord.

"We need to be cool-headed and think about the fundamental questions like what kind of country North Korea is," said Park, now a graduate student at Seoul National University.

He urged looking back on the past provocations done by the North, saying he does not believe North Korea is talking about peace in the way South Koreans expect.

"It seems many South Koreans believe unification will come in the near future, but that is not what the Panmunjeom Declaration means. It rather means peaceful coexistence of the two different nations."

The two sides agreed to stop all the hostile activities against each other and that means South Korea would not be able to discuss the human rights issues of North Korean residents, Park pointed out.

"Bringing up human rights is the biggest hostile activity from North Korea's point of view. It could give them a reason for another provocation," he added.

Another defector Cho Mi-young, 36, also echoed concerns about North Korean residents' human rights. She came to the South with her family in 2004. They are from Chungjin, North Hamgyong Province. Cho has been hosting a radio broadcast that is sent to North Korea since February 2016.

"South Korea should have asked North Korea to get rid of violations of basic human rights at the summit," Cho said. "Human rights violations such as executions without trial or merciless arrests of citizens who are then sent to political prison camps are still rampant in North Korea."

Stopping the broadcasting activities could also mean blocking access to information for North Koreans, web cartoonist Choi pointed out.

"It amounts to getting rid of educational opportunities," Choi said.

He also criticized the inter-Korean summit for prolonging Kim Jong-un's political life.

"North Koreans have to suffer for a longer period time from now on," he said.

Defectors acknowledged, however, that there were certainly moving moments when the leaders of the two Koreas met at the truce village.

"The most impressive scene was when President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had intimate talks on the bridge," Cho said.

"The talk was possible without interpreters because we are one people sharing one language. It was really touching."

Park also said his friends who also defected from North Korea sent him messages at the moment when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un crossed the demarcation line.

"They said they were watching the scene with their families and all of them were moved to tears," he said.

Defectors also expressed hopes they would also be given freedom to travel to North Korean regions if inter-Korean exchanges happen.

"I first want to go see my parents if they are still there," Park said. "I also want to reserve a bus for my friends in North Korea so they can travel around different regions. They do not have the freedom to travel now."

Meanwhile, South Koreans have been optimistic. The approval rating for President Moon Jae-in bounced back to the 85 percent range after the April 27 summit. According to the latest survey referred by CBS to Realmeter, approval for the President in the second week of May stood at 76.3 percent.