South Korea celebrated the inaugural North Korean Defectors’ Day on July 14. According to the Ministry of Unification, the number of North Korean defectors who resettled in South Korea amounted to 34,078 as of last year. The South Korean government is paying particular attention to the younger generation of North Korean defectors, often referred to as the MZ generation in Korea and commonly known as Millennials and Gen Z in the West.
“North Korea’s MZ generation is known as the ‘Jangmadang generation,’ who grew up fending for themselves without relying on state rations,” said a government official. “Younger North Koreans grew up secretly watching South Korean dramas, imitating the way South Koreans speak while evading Pyongyang’s crackdowns. They could potentially serve as a catalyst for undermining Kim Jong-un’s regime.”
The Chosunilbo interviewed three North Korean defectors from Pyongyang. The three women, all in their 20s, defected together in 2022 while studying abroad in Europe. Jung Yoo-mi, 24, and Shin Ji-eun, 23, have enrolled in South Korean universities this year. Han Ji-min, 24, is preparing to enter university. For privacy reasons, they used pseudonyms and requested that their faces not be published, as they still have family in Pyongyang.
How popular were South Korean dramas in Pyongyang?
Han: “I would watch them under the covers with earphones so no one could hear. It was the best thing in the world. I liked ‘A Gentleman’s Dignity’ the most. The thrill of doing something forbidden made me so happy.”
Shin: “All my friends talked about South Korean movies and dramas at school. Everyone watched them. It was just a matter of getting caught or not. I bet even Kim Ju-ae (Kim Jong Un’s daughter) watches K-dramas.”
How did you come across South Korean dramas in the first place?
Jung: “When I was ten, I went over to a friend’s house and her older sister was watching a drama. At first, I didn’t realize it was a South Korean drama because it had Chinese subtitles, and the volume was very low. But I heard phrases like ‘gomawoyo’ (a form of ‘thank you’ that is not used in North Korea) and ‘gwenchanayo’ (a form of ‘it’s okay’ that is not used in North Korea). It sounded like Korean, but I had never heard those expressions before, so I was very surprised.”
Han: “Until high school, my mom wouldn’t let me listen to the sound of the dramas because she was afraid I would start imitating the South Korean accent. The first South Korean drama I watched in high school was ‘Dream High,’ which had a lot of dancing and singing scenes. It was really exciting and fun. Since then, I’ve watched almost every South Korean drama.”
Did you watch Korean Central Television or Rodong Sinmun? (Each a state-owned TV service and newspaper)
Jung: “No, they’re boring. Most people don’t watch them. Everyone knows that everything they say is a lie.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently banned people from using South Korean expressions.
Shin: “They banned people from saying ‘annyeong’ (South Korean way of saying hello) and even ‘gwenchanha’ (it’s okay). Banning us from using South Korean expressions left us with barely any words to use. We couldn’t dye our hair, wear shorts, or speak in certain ways. It’s so liberating to be in South Korea without those restrictions.”
Jung: “It makes no sense to kill people for watching a drama. I hope there will be a riot someday. People are too scared to speak out because if they say the wrong thing, they disappear the next day. If only someone would take the lead...”
Have you ever been caught by one of North Korea’s crackdowns?
Han: “When I was in the third grade, a security officer caught me outside with my sister’s mobile phone. My sister had saved a friend’s number with a nickname, and the officer took that as a problem. They said we weren’t allowed to use nicknames. I remember crying a lot because they wouldn’t let me go home.”
Han: “If you got caught watching South Korean dramas ten years ago, you were able to resolve it with a bribe of $30 to $50. But those costs have now surged. People jokingly say, ‘If you want to watch a South Korean drama, you need to have ten thousand dollars ready.’”
What was school like?
Han: “They taught us ‘The Revolutionary History of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.’ We had to memorize all these useless things. We had to memorize events from the past during the Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il eras, which we didn’t know well and had never experienced.”
What do you think about Kim Jong Un frequently bringing Kim Ju-ae out in public?
Jung: “People don’t like it. It’s odd to see high-ranking military officials, who are old enough to be her grandfather, kneeling while talking to a child.”
Shin: “There aren’t many kids in North Korea who are as well-fed as Kim Ju-ae. Even if Kim Jong Un says he eats ‘rice balls,’ North Koreans wouldn’t believe it.”
What do you think about North Korea sending trash-filled balloons?
Jung: “It doesn’t feel good to think that in a country where even paper is scarce, they gathered people who have lives to take care of to do something so unnecessary [like gathering trash to fill in a balloon]. I’m sure people my age were mobilized for this particular event.”
How has it been living in South Korea?
Han: “Living here, I realized that North Korea wasn’t a socialist country but also ‘capitalist,’ as in we had to fend for ourselves and make money in the markets, and the state didn’t provide anything. I regret not defecting at a younger age.”
