Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Of course. As soon as South Koreans know that this guy is a North Korean refugee, they think he's not smart, that he's passive, that he's not responsible. I mentioned the prejudice. These things affect their ability to get a job. Actually, I have experience of this. When I got t

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  There is smuggling in North Korea between North Korea and South Korea and between North Korea and China. That's a huge market. When I was in North Korea and of course here now.... China's government cannot control the smuggling. Also, both Korean governments cannot control it. Th

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  That's really dangerous. Usually, North Koreans are of two minds. Officially they pretend to respect the government. They pretend to be good. But they try to make their interests.... The policemen and the police state of course try to keep finding those people who are watching so

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Usually North Korean refugees in South Korea are found out by their accent and appearance.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  For South Koreans, North Korea is next door. Now, unfortunately, the generation in their twenties in South Korea thinks of North Korean people as people from other countries, as members of a foreign country, but the older generations have the feeling that they are our family, our

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  For me, it actually doesn't matter. I can live in a Korean community; I can live in a Canadian community. It doesn't matter. It's been three months that I've been here. One thing is that I feel really safe. I don't know why. Compared to South Korea I feel really safe. Also, Mr.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I'm in the centre, and then it goes up two or three generations and down three generations. So it could be my father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather, and then my son, my grandson, and his son. That's three whole generations, so in total it's six generations actually. So

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Sure. I have many refugee friends in South Korea. They recently got out of North Korea. They have stories. They share their stories. When they were in North Korea they'd watch South Korean soap operas. The women were interested in fashion. They would look at a picture on the scre

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  For me the most suppressing human rights issue in North Korea is [Inaudible—Editor], which is third- generation punishment. If I make a mistake, which is high treason, my father and my grandfather and his father have to go to jail, even though they didn't make any mistake. It was

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Fortunately, I had the experience when I was in South Korea in 2011 that the Canadian embassy opened an English school, and I was a student of the Canadian embassy. I could improve my English there. Thank you.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Well, what I'm saying is that there is an agency.... Actually, when I was in North Korea we were brainwashed. There are so many North Korean people in South Korea because we want to make a unification in a North Korean way. We learned that and then we brought that thought to Sout

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  There is actually a resettlement system. First when we get to South Korea there is a two-month investigation to see if we are a real defector or a refugee. After that, we have three months of resettlement education, which is Hanawon. We stay there and we learn what capitalism is

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Good afternoon, respectable Chair, members of the human rights subcommittee, and distinguished guests. Before speaking about my story and explaining the situation of North Korean refugees, I would like to express my profound gratitude to the subcommittee for inviting me to your