The main part of this paper will look into how traditional living cultures of South Koreans and North Korean defectors changed over the years, focusing on everyday customs and awareness on daily issues.
A Comparative Study on Everyday Life of South Koreans and North Korean Defectors
modernization under either capitalism or socialism during and after the 1960’s, and globalization, isolation and the Arduous March experienced during the 1990’s, South Koreans and North Korean defectors unknowingly started to lead very different lives. The main part of this paper will look into how traditional living cultures of South Koreans and North Korean defectors changed over the years, focusing on everyday customs and awareness on daily issues.
During the late 1990’s, North Korea went through a severe food shortage, leading to many North Koreans defectors1) to escape to the South. As of May 2013, there were a total of 25,560 North Korean defectors who had entered South Korea2). According to other previous research surveying North Korean defectors, differences in the mindset, culture and everyday customs were the main factors that made it difficult for the defectors to adapt to the South Korean society, and this difference did not decrease over time (Chŏn 1997, 109-167).
And because of this kind of experience, many North Korean defectors pointed out that they thought the differences in perspective, culture, daily habits and customs between South and North Koreans would become the biggest problem should the Peninsula become reunified (Chŏn 1997, 109-167). Such research results show that there is a need for scholars to properly research into the everyday living culture of South Koreans and that of North Korean defectors and to come up with a viable solution.
Until now, studies on the living culture of South Koreans and that of North Korean defectors had been performed separately. However, approaching the two groups separately will not be effective in coming up with new prospects. In order to promote understanding, communication and integration between the two, it is
1) Before 1990’s, South Koreans referred to the people who had fled North Korea and settled in the South as Kwisuncha (surrendering defectors)’ or ‘Kwisunyongsa (surrendering warriors)’. After 1990’s, with the growth in the number of people fleeing from the economic crisis in the North, the term T’alpukcha (people fleeing the North)’ was widely used. However, some in the South pointed out that the term T’alpukcha had a negative connotation in regard to the North and that another term should be used instead, at which South Korea’s Ministry of Unification created a euphemism of Saetŏmin (people of the new land) and announced it on 9th January 2005. However, the legal and official term referring to either Kwisuncha, T’alpukcha or Saetŏmin is still Pukhanitalchumin (North Korean defectors). This paper will use the term ‘North Korean defectors’ to refer to Pukhanitalchumin, the official legal term referring to “people who had defected from North Korea and gained residency in South Korea”.
2) Statistics from website of the Resettlement Support Division of Ministry of Unification (http://www.unikorea.go.kr, accessed 10thSep, 2013).
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