Compared to about decade ago when there was widespread
opposition to reunification, a growing number of Koreans now seem to be
settling for it. With increasing public discourse on the issue, including the current
jostling over a mandatory reunification tax (total set at 55 trillion Won or
USD49.4 billion), the move appears imminent, at least from the South Korean
side. Of course, widespread preparations are being anticipated with the
Ministry of Unification taking the lead in establishing various structures for
accommodating and integrating North Koreans in case reunification eventually
sees the light of day. Nevertheless, protracted views of North Korean refugees as
pests, usurpers and rogues that frequently find expression among South Koreans
might be doing more in offsetting the psychological balance required for such an
ambitious project.
In his trip to New York early this month, the Minister of
Unification expressed his hope to see a convergence in the people’s will in the
reunification process and called on all South Koreans to push the process by
making financial contributions based on the emotions they feel when singing the
unification song “Our Wish is Reunification.” Remarkable as it seems, yet money
does not buy desires all the time!
So far, we know that North Koreans as citizens certainly did
not chose despondency over prosperity just as they did not opt for senseless
imprisonment in place of freedom. A majority of them happen to be victims who
grow up to find themselves dangerously entrapped under the high hand of a
repressive regime. They suffer gross economic deprivations; must withstand the
violation of their civil liberties; must not escape for refuge or practice a
religion and must praise the regime at all times. The state’s strongman Kim
Jong-il has carved out for himself a nuclear sanctuary manned by a callous
military that saps up the tons of food aid sent from the South and other
countries to the suffering masses. Those who succeed to escape from the cruelty
tell horror tales of human rights abuses from the regime that usually results in
the death and secret disposal of the victims. Yet, once escaped they risk
reclining into the same life of oppression in the hands of their new employers,
brokers, state agents and new neighbors.
Over 23,000 North Korean refugees are currently in South Korea.
They come traumatized and frightened but on the other hand dazzled at the
abundance of food, prosperity and above all the freedom reigning in South
Korea. They dream of a new beginning but remain haunted by the draconian
consequences at home were they ever to be repatriated for their defection. That
dream does not come easy with numerous visible and invisible discriminations tied
to them in various domains of everyday life. Potential employers and other
citizens continue to look at them with waywardness, suspicion and disdain;
meanwhile government’s one-size-fits-all training policy for them confines them
to low level jobs like cleaning, cooking and nursing though some do have higher
education and demonstrate credible abilities. Without their families and barely
surviving on meager disbursements from the government’s unification ministry and
charity organizations, their psychological pain is often far from over.
A young defector recently recounted of how she has spent
almost every month of her 21 years on earth finding enough food to stay alive!
While this might be one in a thousand cases, it is remarkable that an adult who
has known nothing but oppression her entire life retains hope for a brighter
future! It takes only the combination of the courage of a lion and the slyness
of a fox to dream and successfully embark on an escape mission from one of the
world’s most secluded terrains. Likewise, it takes a true heart to tirelessly
work to secure the over USD10,000 broker fees to rescue a family member or
loved one from North Korea as those that have succeeded in escaping to
neighboring countries are reportedly doing.
As much as genuine worries remain as to the security threat
some of these refugees could pose, it might prove important seeing them
primarily as humans with equal rights; capable of reconstituting themselves enough
to pursue and attain economic and social stability. It is incumbent on South
Korean authorities to take measures that seek to close the possibilities of
some of them posing security problems but it is also possible that this can be
done responsibly, without resorting to any methodical abuses of their rights as
humans.
If reunification is inevitable and if it must be realized peacefully,
it would be important for the journey to begin with a mental reinvigoration,
which allows for a more accommodating idealizing of North Korean refugees. This
is precisely what aid groups and state authorities should strive to reflect in
any new legislation or policy towards North Korea in the new quest for
reunification.
*The author Vernasius T. Tandia,
Ph.D. teaches “International Organization” at the Department of International
Relations at Daegu University in Korea. He specializes in international peace
and security strategy and may be contacted at tvtandia@gmail.com.
