Monday, October 27, 2003

maladapted

High on the Hominid's "If I Were a True Koreablogger" wish list is the ability to follow a story like this. I've been wanting to dig around the e-literature to find out more about NK defectors who fail to adapt to South Korean society. Along comes this great Chosun Ilbo article about a NK man, Nam Su, who defected to South Korea, then went back to NK twice, bringing back two sons upon his return to the South.

But the kicker is this:

The man, Nam Su, may face a thorough investigation here because he reportedly gave lectures while in the North in which he denounced South Korean society.

And:

Before leaving he reportedly complained about South Korean society and showed a yearning to return to North Korea.

And:

During his stay in North Korea, Nam reportedly gave public lectures in which he praised North Korean society and said he had been fooled by South Korea. He was pardoned by the North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in an official letter.

One gets the impression that borders are more porous than they appear. But impressions aside, I want to know more about those lectures against South Korean society, those complaints he made while in South Korea, and how it all ties together. This, to me, is amazing stuff.
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