Essay On North Korean Defectors

Generally, it is hard to accept the change. We all know that, change makes a huge difference in our life. Sometime it occurs when we do not expect it. It takes some time to get used to it. When we cannot accept the change, we try to adjust with it and that is what Shin and many other North Korean defectors do. When they escape from the labor camp or from the North Korea, they have no idea about what is outside of labor camp or the North Korea. They are not aware of outsider world and they do not know how outsider world looks like. Labor camp or the North Korea is like a boundary to them. When they get out of their boundaries, they try to adjust with the new world. However, most of them fail in their adjustment process, because when they escape, they are totally blind about the outside world. North Korean defectors are not aware of outsider world because of North Korean government. From 1950, North Korea has been running like a communist or totalitarian country by Kim dynasty. …show more content…
From their childhood, they were taught that they have to obey the guards and they cannot talk with them directly seeing them in their eyes, therefore, when they talk with anybody outside the labor camp, they cannot make eye contact to anybody and they fear to ask questions. Shin, in his starting years of free life, was not feeling comfortable to ask questions to his friends or roommate about his problems. Shin and other defectors do not know about family, love, trust. Shin said he had never once heard the word “love” during his years in the camp (Harden 6). He also did not know what family is. They were taught that they have to notify the guards if anyone from their family member tries to escape. Therefore, they cannot trust anyone. They are used to hear guard’s orders. They are not used to with our work system so, sometimes they seem rude because they tend not say “thank you” or “sorry” (Harden