Week 12 Current Situation in North Korea Discussion

Featured Articles : Lifeworld of Divided Koreans

with a Korean of another country whereas the defectors were more negative toward marriage with
an overseas Korean and positive toward marriage with a South Korean. Secondly, for South Koreans,
the higher the income, the stronger the pride they had over their jobs. However, for North Korean,
those with lower income tended to be more proud of their jobs. South Koreans preferred becoming
civil servants and professionals. North Korean defectors also added to the list, workers, as a job
that made them proud. Thirdly, in choosing their jobs, South Koreans felt the thoughts and advice
of their parents to be important while North Korean defectors were more reliant on state policy.
The results of this study gives us important insight into how we can promote cultural integration
of South Koreans and North Korean defectors. First of all, the negative perspective South Koreans
have of North Korean defectors has to be fundamentally revisited. It is essential that the prejudice
of equating ordinary North Koreans with the government be overcome and that North Korean
defectors be seen with a sense of national solidarity. Secondly, South Koreans and North Koreans
defectors need to share the advantages of individualism and collectivism that the two sides had
acquired as a result of living under different systems, and be able to use those advantages as a
driver of social development. Third, cultural integration between South Koreans and North Korean
defectors must be a process of attaining diversity in national everyday customs while respecting
the customs of the other, and also of heading toward further expanding and developing national
everyday customs.

Keywords: South Koreans, North Korean defectors, living culture, communication, cultural
integration

1. Introduction

In 1948, two regimes were established, one in the South and the other in the
North of the Korean Peninsula. Although the two broadly shared a common living
culture with a long history, after the division of the Peninsula, the culture in the
South and that of the North started to diverge. The everyday living culture of each
side underwent transformation under the complex influence of division, Korean
War, compressed modernization and capitalism or socialism.

The objective of this study is to use the results of the survey to compare and
analyze the living culture of South Koreans and that of North Korean defectors.
Everyday living culture is bound to change according to time and place. Having
gone through the destruction and influx of foreign aid as the result of the war
in the 1950’s, cultural influence of the US and the USSR, compressed

18 S/N Korean Humanities, Volume 2 Issue 1

A Comparative Study on Everyday Life of South Koreans and North Korean Defectors

modernization under either capitalism or socialism during and after the 1960’s,
and globalization, isolation and the Arduous March experienced during the 1990’s,
South Koreans and North Korean defectors unknowingly started to lead very
different lives. The main part of this paper will look into how traditional living
cultures of South Koreans and North Korean defectors changed over the years,
focusing on everyday customs and awareness on daily issues.

During the late 1990’s, North Korea went through a severe food shortage,
leading to many North Koreans defectors1) to escape to the South. As of May
2013, there were a total of 25,560 North Korean defectors who had entered South
Korea2). According to other previous research surveying North Korean defectors,
differences in the mindset, culture and everyday customs were the main factors
that made it difficult for the defectors to adapt to the South Korean society, and
this difference did not decrease over time (Ch?n 1997, 109-167).

And because of this kind of experience, many North Korean defectors pointed
out that they thought the differences in perspective, culture, daily habits and
customs between South and North Koreans would become the biggest problem
should the Peninsula become reunified (Ch?n 1997, 109-167). Such research results
show that there is a need for scholars to properly research into the everyday living
culture of South Koreans and that of North Korean defectors and to come up with
a viable solution.

Until now, studies on the living culture of South Koreans and that of North
Korean defectors had been performed separately. However, approaching the two
groups separately will not be effective in coming up with new prospects. In order
to promote understanding, communication and integration between the two, it is

1) Before 1990’s, South Koreans referred to the people who had fled North Korea and settled in the South as
Kwisuncha (surrendering defectors)’ or ‘Kwisunyongsa (surrendering warriors)’. After 1990’s, with the
growth in the number of people fleeing from the economic crisis in the North, the term T’alpukcha
(people fleeing the North)’ was widely used. However, some in the South pointed out that the term
T’alpukcha had a negative connotation in regard to the North and that another term should be used
instead, at which South Korea’s Ministry of Unification created a euphemism of Saet?min (people of the
new land) and announced it on 9th January 2005. However, the legal and official term referring to either
Kwisuncha, T’alpukcha or Saet?min is still Pukhanitalchumin (North Korean defectors). This paper will use
the term ‘North Korean defectors’ to refer to Pukhanitalchumin, the official legal term referring to “people
who had defected from North Korea and gained residency in South Korea”.

2) Statistics from website of the Resettlement Support Division of Ministry of Unification
(http://www.unikorea.go.kr, accessed 10thSep, 2013).

S/N Korean Humanities, Volume 2 Issue 1 19

Featured Articles : Lifeworld of Divided Koreans

necessary to historically compare similarities and differences between the living
culture of South Koreans and that of North Korean defectors.

To understand the characteristics of the living culture of South Koreans and
North Korean defectors, it is essential that, first of all, a basic survey be carried
out to comprehensively understand the two cultures on the same level. Based on
this kind of survey, the two cultures can be compared and analyzed, and their
similarities and differences properly understood. This process will enable South
Koreans and North Korean defectors to find a road to socio-cultural integration.

From 3rd January to 28th February 2011, the Konkuk University Institute of
Humanities for Unification performed a survey on the living cultures of South
Koreans and North Korean defectors. 501 South Koreans and 109 North Korean
defectors residing in the areas of Seoul, Suwon and Namyangju participated3).
Sampling was based on gender and age to decide on the target population, and
the survey included basic questions on locality, place of birth, age, gender,
nationality, generation, level of education, marital status, structure and composition
of family, period of residence, form of housing and income (in the case of
defectors, the year of entry into South Korea was added). In the section surveying
everyday customs, there were questions in regard to language, food, clothing and
shelter, and seasonal rituals, and in the section asking about awareness on daily
issues, there were questions related to the idea of supporting one’s parents,
preference for sons, and perspectives on marriage, education and career4).

1. 3) As of August 2011, according to a study by the Ministry of Unification, place of residency for North
   Korean defectors were distributed as follows: 29.4% in Seoul City, 26.6% in Gyeonggi Province, 9.4% in
   Incheon City, 4.1% in Busan City, 3.7% in Gyeongnam Province, 3.8% in Choongnam Province, 3.1% in
   Daegu City, 3.7% in Gyeongbuk Province, 3.0% Choongbuk Province, 2.7% Gwangju City, 2.5% in
   Gangwon Province, 2.3% in Daejeon City, 2.2% in Jeonnam Province, 1.9% in Jeonbuk Province, 1.3%
   in Ulsan City and 0.6% in Jeju Island (Statistics from Resettlement Support Division of the Ministry of
   Unification, http://www.unikorea.go.kr,accessed 10th Sep,2013).
2. 4) In the process of organizing the results into tables, duplicate answers and non-responses were excluded.
   This is why in some cases, the total does not add up to 100%. Unit is %.

20 S/N Korean Humanities, Volume 2 Issue 1

A Comparative Study on Everyday Life of South Koreans and North Korean Defectors

2. Everyday Customs: Traditional Customs Being Maintained

a) Food, Clothing and Shelter

In regard to the question on people’s perception of days that the Hanbok, Korean
traditional costume, should be worn, South Koreans replied that they enjoyed
wearing Hanbok ‘on special occasions’ and ‘on national holidays’. 30.5% replied
that they don’t wear Hanbok. Only 2.6% replied that Hanbok was their everyday
attire, showing that it had changed from an everyday clothing to a ceremonial
costume.

<Table 1> Days Hanbok should be worn

As to the question of why respondents wore Hanbok, among South Koreans,
the answer ‘because all should wear Hanbok on special occasions’ ranked first
at 35.7%, ‘because Hanbok is beautiful’ ranked second (22.6%) and ‘because it
makes me feel Korean’ came next (16.4%). On the other hand, in the case of North
Korean defectors, 26.7% answered ‘because it makes me feel Korean’, 25.0%
‘because Hanbok is beautiful’ and 23.3% ‘because I want to proudly show I am
Korean’, and 20.0% ‘because all should wear Hanbok on special occasions’.

Whereas South Koreans took it for granted that they wear Hanbok on special
occasions because everyone had to, defectors wanted to show their consciousness
and pride as Koreans by wearing Hanbok. Since the 1990’s in North Korea,
Hanbok started to be referred to as national (minjok) clothing and people were
encouraged to wear it (Kim, Seok-Hyang 2007, 84-88). Due to the influence of
this kind of campaign, North Korean defectors also came to naturally consider the

S/N Korean Humanities, Volume 2 Issue 1 21

Featured Articles : Lifeworld of Divided Koreans

Hanbok as an attire that overtly manifested national identity.
In regard to the question Do you think you should always have kimchi with
your meals? , 29.5% of South Koreans replied ‘very much so’ and 41.9% replied
‘yes’. So a total of 71.4% had replied positively to the question. When broken down
according to age, respondents in their 20’s expressed the lowest preference for
kimchi because they were the generation exposed the most to global cuisine and

enjoyed different tastes.

<Table 2> Do you think you should always have kimchi with your meals?
: South Koreans

<Table 3> Do you think you should always have kimchi with your meals?
: North Korean defectors

For North Korean defectors, in all age groups, nearly 90% replied either ‘yes’
or ‘very much so’. The latter answer was 35% higher than that of South Koreans.
The number of defectors who either replied ‘no’ or ‘very much no’ was half that
of South Koreans, showing a high dependency on kimchi.5) The kimchi preference

22 S/N Korean Humanities, Volume 2 Issue 1

A Comparative Study on Everyday Life of South Koreans and North Korean Defectors

of North Koreans can be explained by the North’s emphasis on North Korean
traditional foods6) as well as the influence of the typical simple diet of working
class North Koreans basically consisting of rice, soup and kimchi, complemented
by one or two vegetable dishes (Hwang and Chang 2001, 376). On the other hand,
South Koreans showed a lower preference for kimchi because Korean food culture
has become more diversified through westernization and globalization (Korean
History Research Association 1999, 153-169).

On why kimchi should always be there with meals, majority of South Koreans
replied ‘because it suits the Korean palate (50.3%)’, and ‘because it tastes good
(19.2%)’. North Korean defectors replied similarly – ‘because it suits the Korean
palate (70.1%)’, and ‘because it tastes good (7.2%). Both South Koreans and
defectors alike were enjoying kimchi because it was a natural living culture. This
kind of embodied kimchi-centered food culture does not easily change and both
South Koreans as well as North Korean defectors were sustaining this culture and
handing it down to younger generations.

b) Customs and Seasonal Rituals

In regard to the question, Do you think the coming of age, marriages, funerals
and ancestral memorial rituals should be performed in the traditional way? ,
slightly more South Koreans answered negatively (‘not necessarily’ 53.8%) than
positively (‘must’ 5.6% and ‘as much as possible’ 40.3%) whereas more North
Korean defectors answered positively (‘must’ 22.0%, ‘as much as possible’ 37.6%)
than negatively (‘not necessarily’ 39.4%). In short, 15% more North Korean
defectors, in comparison to South Koreans, thought traditional rituals should be
adhered to.

5) The same result was found in Song Chu-Un’s 2002 survey of 59 North Korean defectors (Song 2002, 141).
6) In an opinion article titled Arirang of the Sun Nationon July 11, 2002, Rodong Simun emphasized, All Koreans should be familiar with the pleasant kimchi taste. All Koreans love the ch?gori of Korean

skirts, Py?ngyang-style cold noodles and the savory fermented soybean soup.

S/N Korean Humanities, Volume 2 Issue 1 23

Featured Articles : Lifeworld of Divided Koreans

<Table 4> Do you think coming of age ceremonies, marriages, funerals and
ancestral memorial rituals should be performed in the traditional way?:
South Koreans

<Table 5> Do you think coming of age ceremonies, marriages, funerals and
ancestral memorial rituals should be performed in the traditional way?:
North Korean defectors

In the case of South Koreans, the younger the respondents and more women
than men thought the four major rituals (coming of age ceremonies, marriages,
funerals and ancestral memorials) did not have to be followed in the traditional
way. Among the different age groups, people in their teens and 20’s recorded the
highest for ‘not necessarily’ when it came to traditional observation of the four
major rituals while people between the ages of 30’s and 50’s answered the highest
for ‘must’. The difference between the former and the latter was nearly 20%. Those
in their teens and 20’s tend to be critical toward adhering to traditional ways of
performing the four major events.

As for North Korean defectors, the percentage for ‘not necessarily’ grew as

24 S/N Korean Humanities, Volume 2 Issue 1

A Comparative Study on Everyday Life of South Koreans and North Korean Defectors

respondents became younger, but the result for those in their 40’s stood out – 50%
replied ‘not necessarily’. Defectors in their 40’s had spent their teenage years during
the 1970’s in North Korea, which was when the single ideology system was
established, and thus did not strictly follow traditional customs (Chu 1994,
494-495). Another reason could be that their awareness level for traditional rituals
weakened because they were the ones who were breadwinners of their families
during the difficult economic circumstances of 1990’s – referred to as the ‘Arduous
March’ – during which it was hard to maintain traditional rituals (Kim and Chung
eds. 2012, 136-137).

On the other hand, in regard to the question, Traditional holidays enjoyed by
my family , South Koreans replied 97.4% for the ‘Lunar New Year’, 94.2% for
‘Thanksgiving (Ch’us?k)’, 34.1% for the ‘First Full Moon’, 7.2% for ‘Hansik’ and
5.6% for ‘Tano’. For North Korean defectors, the order was ‘Lunar New Year’
86.2%, ‘Ch’us?k’ 78.0%, ‘First Full Moon’ 32.1%, ‘Hansik’ 32.1% and ‘Tano’ 26.6%.
The ranking was the same, but a difference in the percentage could be observed.
For South Koreans, the Lunar New Year and Thanksgiving were considered
important holidays during which the entire family had to gather even if it meant
large-scale, long distance traveling, but for North Korean defectors whose families
have been separated, the significance of ‘holidays enjoyed by the entire family’
was inevitably weaker. However, it seems that North Korean defectors still
observed traditionally holidays like Hansik and Tano7), which have relatively
become less observed in South Korea.

These results reflect the holiday-related customs of North Korea. In May 1967,
North Korea reduced the number of traditional holidays to be observed, under
orders from President Kim Il S?ng that Remnants of feudalism must be rooted
out.However, during the late 1980’s some were revived and became a time for

7) In an agricultural society, the First Full Moon was a day bidding farewell to winter and ushering in the
farming season, celebrated in the form of a festival praying for a good harvest. Hansik was the 105th day
after the winter solstice. It was a day to prepare for the upcoming new farming season, planting trees or
sowing vegetable seeds. Tano, since long ago, was considered the day when the yang force was the
strongest and so was observed as one of the major holidays in Korea, Japan and China. During the
agricultural period, it was a day farmers could rest, having finished sowing seeds of vegetables and rice,
so farmers enjoyed themselves as much as they could on this day (Research Institute of Korean Studies
2001, 74, 83, 180).

S/N Korean Humanities, Volume 2 Issue 1 25

Featured Articles : Lifeworld of Divided Koreans

families, neighbors and co-workers to enjoy themselves (Chu 1994, 447-467).8)
On Lunar New Year and Ch’us?k, North Koreans perform simplified ancestral
memorial rituals, and on the First Full Moon, eat traditional First Full Moon foods.
On Hansik, they visit, or if necessary, move, the graves of their ancestors, and
on Tano, workers spend the day playing sports or games together.9)

<Table 6> Traditional holidays enjoyed by my family (multiple response)
: South Koreans

<Table 7> Traditional holidays enjoyed by my family (multiple response)
: North Korean defectors

1. 8) Hansik remains an important occasion in North Korea, unlike South Korea, where it has diminished. On
   Hansi

   Order a similar assignment, and have writers from our team of experts write it for you, guaranteeing you an A

   

   Similar Posts

   Uncategorized

   Tesla Motors External and Internal Analysis Discussion

   Description Choose one question in-depth per post (rather than multiple questions in a single post). The Case is attached. External Analysis…

   Uncategorized

   Homelessness and Social Inequality Essay Proposal

   Description I want someone with excellent research skills and also excellent english please There are to papers, that need editing a…

   Uncategorized

   Academy College Latin Americas NACLA Report

   Description For this assignment, you are to read current news articles about Latin America from the website for the North American…

   Uncategorized

   Illinois University The Tipping Point Article Reflection Paper

   Description Write a two reflection papers with at least 350 words (include a word count at the top of your page)…

   Uncategorized

   Central Florida College Winter Park IT Security Internship Report Paper

   Description I) Internship Report Directions: As part of this course, all students must complete 50 hours in an internship. You will…

   Uncategorized

   SPD200 Grand Canyon University Beyond F.A.T. City Video Analysis

   Description All educators must be sensitive to the needs of their students andfamilies. In this video, Richard Lavoie addresses parents andeducators…