North Korean Defectors Resettle, Raise Awareness in Canada by Kyle Burton, Contributing Writer January 30, 2012

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

North Korean Defectors Resettle, Raise Awareness in Canada by Kyle Burton, Contributing Writer January 30, 2012 North Korean defectors resettle, raise awareness in Canada By Kyle Burton, contributing writer January 30, 2012 TORONTO, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) - Hundreds of years after European migrants traveled to North America seeking refuge and opportunity, groups of North Korean defectors have begun to resettle in Canada, with many calling the city of Toronto their new home. Canada accepted 83 North Korean refugees in 2011, double the number of the previous year. Heo Tae-seop is a North Korean defector who has been living in Toronto since May. For people like Heo, the consequences of attempting an escape can be severe. Those caught are repatriated and reportedly receive severe punishment. Some lucky individuals manage to sneak through the border and into China, while others navigate the harsh ocean waters to South Korea. Then, there are those who make the journey to North America where an entirely new life awaits. "People who have just defected from North Korea do not know about democracy because they have been closed off from the world for so long," said Heo. "For example, I am 48 years old, but in Canada I feel like I am a 1- year-old baby because I don't know anything about Toronto or this country." Heo worked as a factory employee in North Korea. He fled from North Korea through China after his wife and child died. "When all of my family had gone, I was no longer afraid of dying." he said. Heo Tae-seop, a North Korean defector who settled in Toronto last year. (Courtesy of Kyle Burton) Although he cannot speak English, Heo hopes to share his stories with the world. For this reason, he helped organize North America's first North Korean photo exhibition to shed light on the harsh reality of life in his home country. Hosted by Dosan Gallery at the Korea Times building in Toronto, the exhibit commenced with a night of film screenings and guest speakers who shared stories about the hardships of life in North Korea. The Toronto North Korean alliance, a group of North Korean refugees, hopes that these awareness activities will influence dictatorial powers to close prison camps and start respecting their people. "In North Korea, people live with constant fear and anxiety. So they cannot do anything with confidence. We would like the Canadian governments to provide North Korean people with job training and help set us up with confidence," says Heo. http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/n_feature/2012/01/20/28/4901000000AEN20120120005600315F.HTML Chris Kim, director at the Korean Canadian Cultural Association of Toronto, helps North Korean refugees transition into Toronto life. "People have a compassionate mind and a kind heart, but what good is it if you don't exercise it? That's my motive," says Kim, who is a participant in organization's outreach program to the defectors. "I believe in the Bible. It says 'love thy neighbor' no matter what, or who it is. It doesn't matter." Visitors view photos of plight in North Korea at Heo's exhibit. The HanVoice at the University of Toronto also strives to advocate for refugee rights so they can lead ordinary lives in Toronto. The HanVoice believes that concerned Canadians should raise their voices on behalf of North Koreans - who have struggled to find their voice. With the recent death of "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-il, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that it is a "critical juncture" for North Korea and its people. Harper hopes that the North Korean government will begin a stronger relationship with the international community. "We urge North Korea to close this sad chapter in its history and to work once more towards promoting the well-being of its people and stability on the Korean peninsula." Harper said. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said, "It is past due for North Korea to change its ways and for those who lead it to meet the real needs of the North Korean people." In the meantime, Canada will continue to accept North Korean asylum seekers and offer them support. Heo, who currently spends most of his time studying English, is very thankful to the Canadian government for accepting North Korean refugees and making Canada a place for him to live. When he first arrived in Toronto, he was shocked by the multiculturalism in the city, and impressed with how the diverse community has been able to coexist together. "I think it will take some time to adjust our minds to be able to live in Toronto," said Heo. "Once we do that, we can successfully live as members of a democratic country." http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/n_feature/2012/01/20/28/4901000000AEN20120120005600315F.HTML .
Recommended publications
  • The K-Pop Wave: an Economic Analysis
    The K-pop Wave: An Economic Analysis Patrick A. Messerlin1 Wonkyu Shin2 (new revision October 6, 2013) ABSTRACT This paper first shows the key role of the Korean entertainment firms in the K-pop wave: they have found the right niche in which to operate— the ‘dance-intensive’ segment—and worked out a very innovative mix of old and new technologies for developing the Korean comparative advantages in this segment. Secondly, the paper focuses on the most significant features of the Korean market which have contributed to the K-pop success in the world: the relative smallness of this market, its high level of competition, its lower prices than in any other large developed country, and its innovative ways to cope with intellectual property rights issues. Thirdly, the paper discusses the many ways the K-pop wave could ensure its sustainability, in particular by developing and channeling the huge pool of skills and resources of the current K- pop stars to new entertainment and art activities. Last but not least, the paper addresses the key issue of the ‘Koreanness’ of the K-pop wave: does K-pop send some deep messages from and about Korea to the world? It argues that it does. Keywords: Entertainment; Comparative advantages; Services; Trade in services; Internet; Digital music; Technologies; Intellectual Property Rights; Culture; Koreanness. JEL classification: L82, O33, O34, Z1 Acknowledgements: We thank Dukgeun Ahn, Jinwoo Choi, Keun Lee, Walter G. Park and the participants to the seminars at the Graduate School of International Studies of Seoul National University, Hanyang University and STEPI (Science and Technology Policy Institute).
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond Line: the Art of Korean Writing
    LACMA Exhibition Checklist Beyond Line: The Art of Korean Writing Introduction Suh Se Ok Person, c. 1990 Ink on paper 55 1/2 × 54 3/4 in. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea Kim Choong Hyun Poem on the Diamond Mountains, in Hangeul Script, c. 1900 Pair of hanging scrolls; ink on paper a-b) image: 50 × 24 3/4 in. each Los Angeles County Museum of Art Prehistoric Unknown Bangudae Petroglyphs, mid-20th century Ink on paper Imprint (total 3 pieces of hanging scrolls): 153 9/16 × 241 5/16 in. a): 153 9/16 × 86 5/8 in.; b): 153 9/16 × 76 in.; c): 153 9/16 × 86 5/8 in. Woljeon Museum of Art Icheon Unknown Letter Paper, 1392–1910 Paper Sheet (each): 10 15/16 × 19 3/8 in. Total 6 pieces National Museum of Korea Unknown Ink Stone Case 10 × 14 3/8 × 8 3/4 in. Robert Nicolais Pair of Inksticks Soot Each: 6 × 3 7/8 × 1 in. Ok Whan Kim Inkstick Soot 7 × 2 3/8 × 5/8 in. Ok Whan Kim Inkstone with Grape Design in Relief 16 × 12 × 2 in. Weight: 15 lb. Jun Soo Lee Unknown Writing Brush Animal hair and wood Length: 16 in. Sang H Han Writing brush Animal hair and wood Length: 14 in. Sang H Han Writing brush Animal hair and wood Length: 12 in. Sang H Han Unknown Water Dropper in the Form of a Lion, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), 19th century Molded porcelain with blue painted decoration under clear glaze Height: 2 7/8 in.; length: 4 3/4 in.
    [Show full text]
  • From Liaodongese Refugee to Ming Loyalist: the Historiography of the Sanggok Ma, a Ming Migrant Descent Group in Late Joseon Korea
    Articles From Liaodongese Refugee to Ming Loyalist: The Historiography of the Sanggok Ma, a Ming Migrant Descent Group in Late Joseon Korea Adam Bohnet The Review of Korean Studies Volume 15 Number 1 (June 2012): 109-139 ©2012 by the Academy of Korean Studies. All rights reserved. 110 The Review of Korean Studies Introduction During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Joseon1 Korea (1392- 1910), biographies were written of Ming migrants who had entered Joseon as deserters from the Ming armies during the 1592-1598 Imjin War or as refugees who fled to Joseon in the decade following the 1618 commencement of the Manchu invasion of Liaodong and Liaoxi. Despite the fact that these migrants were not welcomed at the time by the Joseon court, they were declared by the Joseon court in the eighteenth century to be Ming loyalists who had fled to Joseon to escape the Manchu Qing. As such, during the reigns of Jeongjo (r. 1776-1800) and Sunjo (r. 1800-1834), they were provided with hagiographic biographies which were anthologized in collections official and unofficial, in which these deserters and refugees were declared exemplars of the Ming loyalism that had become part of the official narrative of the Joseon court. At the same time, the descendants of these migrants were raised from their relatively humble “submitting-foreigner” status to the much more prestigious “imperial subject” status. This in turn brought the possibility of positions in the military bureaucracy and a role in court-sponsored Ming loyalist rituals. Biography, as a branch of history, has been attracting renewed interest, as is attested by a recent round-table published in the American Historical Review.
    [Show full text]
  • Joseon Mummies Before Mummy Studies Began in Korea
    Papers on Anthropology XXIII/1, 2014, pp. 135–151 JOSEON MUMMY STUDIES IN KOREA M. K. Song, D. H. Shin JOSEON MUMMIES BEFORE MUMMY STUDIES BEGAN IN KOREA Mi Kyung Song1, Dong Hoon Shin2 1 Department of Clothing Science, Seoul Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea 2 Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea ABSTRACT Mummy studies in Korea are instrumental in reconstructing the health and disease status of pre-modern Joseon peoples using firm scientific evidence. However, this scientific approach to such investigations in Korea is a relatively new discipline which began only within the last decade. Previous studies on Joseon tombs and their contents were performed exclusively by dress histo- rians because most of the artefacts recoverable from Joseon tombs were tex- tiles. In this report, we examine some of the excavation records left by dress historians in order to elucidate the approximate number and preservation status of Korean mummies discovered prior to the advent of their scientific investigation. Keywords: Korea, mummy, mummy studies, Joseon Dynasty, clothing, history INTRODUCTION Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910 CE) mummies are an essential resource for the scientifi c study of the health and disease statuses of pre-modern Korean peo- ple. Although the exact mechanisms of mummifi cation is still not completely understood, it occurred over the course of several hundred years of burial in a specifi c type of tomb encapsulated by a lime-soil mixture barrier (the LSMB tomb). Considering the lack of any formalized embalming techniques practiced during the Joseon period, the relatively high state of preservation of most of the mummies is surprising (17).
    [Show full text]
  • Paintshop Pro Drucken
    Haven of Nature : Korea DMZ - European Green Belt Introduction An irony of history retro-revolving with the primitive life The scientific development has been enhancing human beings’ life on average, but it has also cast a dark shadow on its hidden side: disruption and destruction of natural ecosystem. The world’s ecosystem in general has been exposed to a variety of pollutants. Fortunately, the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the Korean peninsula is the sole area where ecosystem has been recovering. Therefore, the ecosystem of the DMZ is our asset that will shine more in the future. One heartbreaking fact is that its unique value is the result of the fratricidal Korean War. Ironically enough, the horrible war symbolizing “destruction” presented us a seed of hope: the DMZ, a painful belt of the Korean peninsula. The sharp confrontation and conlict still exist between North and South Korea. However, much of the vestige of the war symbolized by the DMZ are gone as the history continues since the end of the war. Instead, “ecological value of the future” has been illing up and it will continue to do so. Accordingly, this guidebook will cover “ecological value” of the DMZ, an asset that we should preserve and take pride in in the future. You will observe the beautiful natural environment of the DMZ, a variety of birds, animals and plants that inhabit there as well as the DMZ—a wetland and geopark. It is not enough to put the wonderful provision of nature and landscape of the DMZ in this guidebook. But we hope that it would encourage you to think of the ecological value of the DMZ once again.
    [Show full text]
  • Translocation of an Endangered Endemic Korean Treefrog Dryophytes Suweonensis
    A. Borzée, Y.-I. Kim, Y.-E. Kim & Y. Jang / Conservation Evidence (2018) 15, 6-11 Translocation of an endangered endemic Korean treefrog Dryophytes suweonensis Amaël Borzée1,2, Ye Inn Kim2, Ye Eun Kim2* & Yikweon Jang2,3*. 1 Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea 2 Department of Life Sciences and Division of EcoScience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea 3 Interdisciplinary Program of EcoCreative, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, 03760, Republic of Korea SUMMARY Endangered species in heavily modified landscapes may be vulnerable to extinction if no conservation plan is implemented. The Suweon treefrog Dryophytes suweonensis is an endemic endangered species from the Korean Peninsula. In an attempt to conserve the species, a translocation plan was implemented in the city of Suwon. The receptor site was a specially modified island in a reservoir. Egg clutches were collected from four nearby sites, and were hatched and reared in a laboratory during 2015. One hundred and fifty froglets were released at the new site. In 2016, one year after the translocation, calling male D. suweonensis, and newly hatched tadpoles and juveniles were recorded. Juveniles were seen until the last week before hibernation in autumn 2016. However, only a single male was recorded calling in 2017. The population was consequently considered functionally extinct. Failure of the translocation most likely arose from mismanagement of the vegetation surrounding the wetlands, and the resulting inability of the site to fulfil the ecological requirements of the species. The project allowed the development of rearing protocols for the species, and defined its ecological requirements.
    [Show full text]
  • DONGUIBOGAM Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine
    DONGUIBOGAM Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine PART A ESSENTIAL INFORMATION 1. SUMMARY Donguibogam (hereinafter referred to as“ Bogam”), literally meaning“ Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine”, is an encyclopedic bible of medical knowledge and treatment techniques compiled in Korea in 1613. It is edited by Heo Jun under the collective support of medical experts and literati according to the royal instruction. The state initiated the synthesis of various medical knowledge and also the setting up and implementation of an innovative public health programme for the common people. In medical respect, Bogam successfully synthesized competing contemporary theories of medicine that had accumulated in East Asia for two millennia and went on to integrate medical knowledge and clinical experiences together in a single collection of volumes. The work informs the evolution of medicine in East Asia and beyond. In terms of health care system, it developed the ideals of“ preventive medicine”and “public health care by the state,”which was virtually an unprecedented idea up to the 19th century. Thus, it stands for the historical development of the knowledge and skills of medicine in East Asia and further reflects the human footprints of world medicine and culture. As such, the significance and importance of Bogam is incomparable to anything in the world. 1) Bogam is the first-ever comprehensive book on medical principles and practice edited and distributed nationwide, according to the innovative order by state to proclaim the ideals of public health by the state and preventive medicine. Bogam is significant in that the state took the pioneering initiative to proclaim itself as early as in the 17th century to be responsible for public health.
    [Show full text]
  • Is Hanja Represented in the Korean Mental Lexicon?
    Kim, Y., S., Kotzor, & A. Lahiri. (in press). Is Hanja represented in the Korean mental lexicon?: Encoding cross-script semantic cohorts in the representation of Sino-Korean. Lingua. Manuscript accepted for publication at Lingua (date of acceptance: 15 May 2021) © 2021, Elsevier B. V. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the final, authoritative version of the article. Please do not copy or cite without authors’ permission. The final article will be available, upon publication, via its DOI: 10.1016/j.lingua.2021.103128. 1 Is Hanja represented in the Korean mental lexicon?: Encoding cross-script semantic cohorts in the representation of Sino-Korean Yoolim Kima,b*, Sandra Kotzorb,c, & Aditi Lahirib aMinds and Traditions Research Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany bFaculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom cSchool of Education, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom Correspondence should be addressed to: Yoolim Kim Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History Kahlaische Strasse 10 07745 Jena Germany. Email: [email protected] 2 Abstract Korean can be transcribed in two different scripts, one alphabetic (Hangul) and one logographic (Hanja). How does the mental lexicon represent the contributions of multiple scripts? Hangul’s highly transparent one-to-one relationship between spellings and sounds creates homophones in spoken Korean that are also homographs in Hangul, which can only be disambiguated through Hanja. We thus tested whether native speakers encoded the semantic contributions of the different Hanja characters sharing the same homographic form in Hangul in their mental representation of Sino-Korean.
    [Show full text]
  • THE U.S.-SOUTH KOREA ALLIANCE Free-Riding Or Bargaining?
    THE U.S.-SOUTH KOREA ALLIANCE Free-Riding or Bargaining? Jong-Sup Lee and Uk Heo Defense burden-sharing has been a much-debated issue in alliance management since the early 1960s. The United States raised this issue to increase allies’ defense burdens in order to reduce its defense spend- ing without major changes in roles and missions. The U.S. executive branch has utilized congressional pressure to request allies to increase their defense burdens.1 For example, the Nunn-Roth Amendment (1984), the Neal Resolu- tion (1987), the Ritter Resolution (1987), the Amendment by John McCain (1988), the Amendment by John Bryant (1988), and the Amendment by Tommy F. Robinson (1988) all required American allies to increase their defense expenditures to a certain percentage of their gross national product (GNP). The Mansfield Amendments (1966–74), which were intended to re- duce the number of U.S. forces in Europe and to increase European contribu- tions, also produced a great debate in the U.S. Senate. In general, there are two contending approaches to defense burden-sharing: the free-riding model and the bargaining model. According to the free-riding model, the larger country in an alliance (as measured by size of GNP) has a larger defense burden than the smaller country does. In addition, the more the larger nation provides, the less the smaller nation will spend on defense.2 Jong-Sup Lee, Ph.D, is Lieutenant Colonel of the Republic of Korea Army. Uk Heo is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Mil- waukee.
    [Show full text]
  • Ex Oriente Lumina Historiae Variae Multiethnicae
    EX ORIENTE LUMINA HISTORIAE VARIAE MULTIETHNICAE Festskrift tillägnad Juha Janhunen på hans 61. födelsedag 12.2.2013 EX ORIENTE LUMINA HISTORIAE VARIAE MULTIETHNICAE Festskrift tillägnad Juha Janhunen på hans 61. födelsedag 12.2.2013 Edited by Tiina Hyytiäinen, Lotta Jalava, Janne Saarikivi & Erika Sandman Studia Orientalia 113 EX ORIENTE LUMINA HISTORIAE VARIAE MULTIETHNICAE Festskrift tillägnad Juha Janhunen på hans 61. födelsedag 12.2.2013 Edited by Tiina Hyytiäinen, Lotta Jalava, Janne Saarikivi & Erika Sandman Helsinki 2013 Ex Oriente Lumina: Historiae variae multiethnicae Edited by Tiina Hyytiäinen, Lotta Jalava, Janne Saarikivi & Erika Sandman Studia Orientalia, vol. 113, 2013 Copyright © 2013 by the Finnish Oriental Society Societas Orientalis Fennica c/o Department of World Cultures P.O. Box 59 (Unioninkatu 38 B) FI-00014 University of Helsinki FINLAND Editor Lotta Aunio Co-Editors Patricia Berg Sari Nieminen Advisory Editorial Board Axel Fleisch (African Studies) Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila (Arabic and Islamic Studies) Tapani Harviainen (Semitic Studies) Arvi Hurskainen (African Studies) Juha Janhunen (Altaic and East Asian Studies) Hannu Juusola (Semitic Studies) Klaus Karttunen (South Asian Studies) Kaj Öhrnberg (Librarian of the Society) Heikki Palva (Arabic Linguistics) Asko Parpola (South Asian Studies) Simo Parpola (Assyriology) Rein Raud (Japanese Studies) Saana Svärd (Assyriology) Typesetting Lotta Aunio Cover photo Tiina Hyytiäinen & Repe Reilin ISSN 0039-3282 ISBN 978-951-9380-82-7 WS Bookwell Oy Jyväskylä 2013 CONTENTS
    [Show full text]
  • Songbun North Korea’S Social Classification System
    Marked for Life: Songbun North Korea’s Social Classification System A Robert Collins Marked for Life: SONGBUN, North Korea’s Social Classification System Marked for Life: Songbun North Korea’s Social Classification System Robert Collins The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea 1001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 435, Washington, DC 20036 202-499-7973 www.hrnk.org Copyright © 2012 by the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 0985648007 Library of Congress Control Number: 2012939299 Marked for Life: SONGBUN, North Korea’s Social Classification System Robert Collins The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea 1001 Connecticut Ave. NW Suite 435 Washington DC 20036 (202) 499-7973 www.hrnk.org BOARD OF DIRECTORS, Jack David Committee for Human Rights in Senior Fellow and Trustee, Hudson Institute North Korea Paula Dobriansky Former Under Secretary of State for Democ- Roberta Cohen racy and Global Affairs Co-Chair, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution Nicholas Eberstadt Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute Andrew Natsios Co-Chair, Carl Gershman Walsh School of Foreign Service Georgetown President, National Endowment for Democracy University, Former Administrator, USAID David L. Kim Gordon Flake The Asia Foundation Co-Vice-Chair, Executive Director, Maureen and Mike Mans- Steve Kahng field Foundation General Partner, 4C Ventures, Inc. Suzanne Scholte Katrina Lantos Swett Co-Vice-Chair, President, Lantos Foundation for Human Rights Chairman, North Korea Freedom Coalition and Justice John Despres Thai Lee Treasurer, President and CEO, SHI International Corp. Consultant, International Financial and Strate- Debra Liang-Fenton gic Affairs Former Executive Director, Committee for Hu- Helen-Louise Hunter man Rights in North Korea, Secretary, The U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • New Evidence on North Korea in 1956
    Cold War International History Project Bulletin, Issue 16 New Evidence on North Korea in 1956 Introduction by James F. Person ew events since the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War contrast, concludes that the attack on Kim Il Sung’s policies at have had such enduring political relevance in the 60-year the August Plenum “was a desperate attempt to turn the tide Fhistory of the North Korean party-state as the three-year rather than a serious challenge to Kim’s rule.”5 dispute in the Korean Workers’ Party (KWP) over development The documentary evidence on post-war North Korea has strategies that culminated in the summer of 1956. Yet, due to the been greatly enhanced recently through the release of docu- secretive nature of the regime and the paucity of documentary ments at the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History evidence from Korean and other archives, little has been known (RGANI), the post-Stalin Central Committee archive. These about this pivotal event until recently. While accounts of the epi- documents, some of which are presented below, originated sode have appeared in many histories of modern Korea,1 they with the Central Committee Department for Relations with have largely focused on the August 1956 Plenum of the KWP International Communist Parties, the Communist Party of the Central Committee (CC), which is generally portrayed as the Soviet Union’s (CPSU) own foreign policy organ.6 Some of climax of a decade-long power struggle between four factions: the documents were also analyzed by Japanese scholar Nobuo the so-called “Soviet faction” composed of ethnic Koreans who Shimotomai, who accessed them in microfilm copy at the Slavic lived in the Soviet Union and were sent to serve in administra- Research Center in Hokkaido, Japan.
    [Show full text]