“When I was in North Korea, I could catch fish anywhere because rivers are so clean, but, here in South Korea, I can’t find any place where I can fish and enjoy myself because the pollution is so serious.”
“It is difficult for me to get close to my peers here, so I go to places like Internet cafes and play alone everyday.”
“When I was in North Korea, I was hungry all the time, but here, I can eat as much as I want, which is so great.”
On February 2, 2007, the members of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) including Chairperson Kyong-Whan Ahn and Standing Commissioner Ho-Jun Kim visited Dari Community, a home to juveniles who from North Korea. The NHRCK has been making direct on-site visits to vulnerable members of society since 2003 to ascertain human rights conditions first hand. Dari Community is the first location of this year’s on-site visit schedule. The Commission sought to hear directly about the difficulties confronting these juveniles, assess their current status, and determine mid- to long-term solutions to their problems.
The juveniles said, “We are very curious and have high expectations because the chairperson of the NHRCK, in which we have been very interested, visited us in person.” They treated the visitors to roasted chestnuts, noodles, and flat cakes that they had prepared themselves and freely discussed their lives in North and South Korea.
During their dialogue with the chairperson, they mostly talked about life at school. Most members of the community are in middle or high school and expressed their difficulties arising from the disparities between the schooling processes of the two Koreas.
In particular, Seongman (alias), who is a high school student, talked about his difficulties in adjusting to South Korea’s educational methods. He said, “When I went to school in North Korea, I had to sit at attention in class at all times. In South Korea, I had a hard time for a while in adjusting myself to the new learning environment. Students here actually sit in comfortable postures and engage in free discussion.”
Chairperson Ahn said, “Promotion of North Korean defectors’ rights is one of the Commission’s ten core tasks for 2007. The Commission will seek comprehensive solutions to their human rights issues as soon as possible. In addition, it will proactively study the various difficulties, which juveniles from North Korea experience, and endeavor to prevent any hardships in their adjustment to South Korean society.”
After the dialogue with the chairperson, Standing Commissioner Kim stated that he would treat the students to jajangmyeon (noodles with black soy sauce) if they visit the Commission. The chairperson added, “We will prepare not only jajangmyeon but also tangsuyuk (meat marinated and fried with sweet sauce), and we will send a bus for you so that you may come to the Commission comfortably.” His remarks elicited applaud from the community. As promised, members of Dari Community visited the Commission on February 27. In relation to North Korean defectors’ human rights, the Commission is preparing to meet North Korean defectors who are working in South Korea.
* Dari Community
Dari Community began in 1998 as a shelter to provide accommodations and economic assistance to North Korean children who came to China after fleeing hunger-stricken North Korea.
Seongdong (alias), a primary school student, is the youngest member of the community. Youngil (alias), a university junior, is its eldest member. Currently, the community has 16 members (6 girls and 10 boys). Secretary General Seok-Hun Ma and three working-level staffers are living with them to provide them with assistance.
They live on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floor of a four-story villa building in Ansan. Of all the 16 members, one is a university student, four are high school students, seven are middle school students, three are elementary school students, and one is studying for a college entrance qualification examination. Seven of them entered South Korea with their families, and the other nine have no family or relatives here.
