Eugene: Home, sweet home

Posted 11:27 PM, August 12, 2006, by esyim

7.09.06

On my last day working with the NGO, I was invited to visit the apartment of North Korean family. The unit I visited was home for an older couple that had immigrated several years ago and had gotten married here in South Korea. The small apartment was on the 10th floor of a large apartment complex that houses a large number of North Koreans. The government owns units in these large apartment complexes and rents them out to North Korean migrants as they resettle in South Korea. These complexes provide a much-needed community for the North Koreans as they resettle in a foreign country.

I caught a glimpse of that community at work as I walked into the apartment today. As I came into the unit, I was invited by three older North Korean women who were huddled in a tight circle. They were old enough to be my grandmother, but had such energy and vibrancy as they chatted away with each other about just about anything and everything.

At one point, I remember chuckling to myself as they talked about how North Korean women decorate the interiors of their homes. They laughed as they remembered when they first picked up discarded furniture from the street. The furniture never matched, leaving the living rooms of these North Korean women a hodgepodge of clashing colors. To top it off, when the women finally had enough money to replace these used articles, they had to pay for the government to throw them out. One woman laughed as they told the others how she would avoid this fee by bashing up her old furniture and throwing it away in the regular trash.

For most of my time at the apartment, I observed the women as they conversed. I realized at that time just how important community is for North Koreans resettling in a foreign land. I was so thankful to have been invited to take part in it, although I sat in silence most of the time.

Eventually, however, my cover was blown, and they noticed that I was not joining in on their conversation. I was asked to speak up and was invited to ask questions to the women. At that point, I asked a simple question to the women gathered there:

"I know that in North Korean people are socialized to believe Americans are evil. Now that you are here in South Korea, what do you think of Americans? What do you think of me as I sit here before you?"

As the mood suddenly became very serious and contemplative, I realized that the women were preparing to give me an honest answer. Two of the women were very vocal in their response. They talked about how they have been learning more about the historical events surrounding the situation in Korea. As they learn more about the United States and its actions, they no longer think of Americans as the enemy. They also mentioned how they saw me as one of their own people. Although I am American by birth, I have a Korean ancestry. There was no denying that.

I did notice that not everyone was involved in the discussion, however. There was one woman in particular who never opened up to me from the time I stepped foot in the door. She never looked at me directly and didn’t speak to me. She didn’t answer my question and gave no input to what the others were saying. Perhaps she was not as prepared to accept me and to accept Americans.

As I left the apartment, I reflected more on the perceptions of North Koreans on Americans and on Korean-Americans, such as myself. Although the recent migrants have a better idea of the nature of their supporters across the seas in the States, the people of North Korea have no such knowledge. Whether I work with North Koreans in South Korea or in North Korea, I realize that accurate perception is critical. With all the confusing politics and propaganda circulating on both sides of the globe, this realization will be invaluable in my future endeavors with North Koreans.