The Korea Hana Foundation, run by the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) Ministry of Unification recently released a report in regards to DPRK defectors’ satisfaction rates after resettlement in the south. This report reveals many things; some obvious, and some not so. Let’s dive in.
North Korean defectors report record-high life satisfaction, but concerns linger
NKNews
The NKNews article is surprisingly balanced about the topic considering their history of reporting on the DPRK. The tagline mentions ‘escapee’ suicide rates reaching a “serious level” (more than double the rest of the population), and hidden at the end of the article where no one reads they also mention that child defectors are 1.3x more likely to develop psychiatric disorders than the general population.
With all western reporting on anything related to the DPRK, though, we have to read between the lines. Everything must be reframed. We are going to take the ROK-run Korea Hana Foundation at their word about these satisfaction rates, however, because even if they are true, it’s not a good look for the occupied south.
Bragging about the satisfaction rates of defectors increasing to 81% ignores the glaring reality: 1 out of every 5 defectors is not satisfied with life in the capitalist south. That’s an incredibly high rate of dissatisfaction, especially compared with communist countries like China1. The article mentions that 34,500 defectors have crossed over to the south, so if we extrapolate the satisfaction rate we get over 6,500 unhappy defectors. Some of which are so unhappy that they end their lives. This is not unusual for the occupied south though, which has, by far, the highest suicide rate in the ‘developed’ world.
While searching for satisfaction levels for the general population of the ROK for comparison, I stumbled upon something so absurdly on the nose I had to double check that it’s actually real.
Koreans generally satisfied with life, but believe others are happier, McDonald’s-Gallup survey finds
Of the general population of the occupied south, only 48.6% of respondents said they felt ‘happy’ with their life. This poll was conducted in part by… McDonalds. Yes, the restaurant chain. The American capitalist mega corporation. The reason why anti-imperialists jokingly refer to America as ‘burger corp’.
Indeed, that McDonalds, the very same megacorporation that has planted a foothold in over 100 different countries around the world, a not-so-subtle form of imperialist American soft power projection. They’re doing opinion polling on the happiness of south Koreans.
Of course, the occupied south of the Korean peninsula is dominated by a few chaebols (Samsung, Hyundai, etc.) but American restaurant corporations like McDonalds and Starbucks2 have also played a major role in transforming much of the Korean south into an outpost of American hyper-consumerism. They literally built what has been described as a ‘little Texas’ in Korea3 to service the tens of thousands of rapists4—I mean American soldiers, of course—that occupy the southern half of the peninsula, ready to take full control5 if a hot war ever broke out (again).
This is why happiness/satisfaction levels in the occupied south are disturbingly low, and why suicide rates are disturbingly high. When every aspect of your life is dominated or at least influenced by a megacorporation, you tend to see yourself as simply a vessel for consumerism, and not a living breathing human with hopes and dreams and whatnot. You can thank McDonalds at least for not lying about how they ruin lives across the capitalist world (again, assuming they’re not lying about these abysmal happiness rates).
Anyways, if we compare these metrics, it would appear that DPRK defectors are happier than the general population. But, it would be exceedingly easy for the ROK government to facilitate that, to pump up those numbers, considering they only have to appease a miniscule subset of the population. A mere 30 thousand compared to tens of millions. An easily attainable goal that shouldn’t require a reorientation of the economy.
Yet, they still largely fail at that. Only 28,000 defectors are satisfied. 6,500 are not. Some aren’t dissatisfied enough to kill themselves but enough at least to steal a bus to try to drive back home across the DMZ6. It’s unknown exactly how many defectors have gone back to the DPRK from the capitalist south, but it’s certainly more than the 31 that the ROK allowed to return between 2012 and 20227.
The occupied south has affirmative action, so to say, for DPRK defectors. After their 3 month mandatory imprisonment at the National Intelligence Service8 (formerly KCIA), defectors that reach the south are forced into a 3 month mandatory stint at a facility called Hanawon9, a vocational school system similar to the ones that were implemented in the Xinjiang province in China for the vulnerable Uyghur population, except it’s considered an exclusively ‘good thing’ in the western world since it’s happening in a country occupied by America and not in one that is an enemy of America.
Hanawon prepares DPRK defectors to integrate into the capitalist south, giving them ‘free’ vocational training and job placement programs upon graduation. They are also given access to housing and resettlement funds10, unlike the majority of the general population.
Defectors are given other opportunities to elevate themselves above the general population, as long as they’re willing to lie about the fatherland. While the oft-cited $860,000 payments11 are indeed exclusive to high profile defectors, you can still make tens of thousands of dollars if you’re an average Joe (or Kim)12.
Yet, thousands are still unhappy. Even with the full backing of the Unification Ministry of the ROK, they can only achieve an 81% satisfaction rate amongst DPRK defectors. Perhaps universal happiness under capitalism is simply unattainable.
Duh.
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One such location perfectly positioned in the DMZ so residents of occupied Korea can sip American/Zionist coffee while gawking at their Korean brothers and sisters suffering under brutal international sanctions through telescopes:https://www.chosun.com/english/travel-food-en/2025/03/30/JBPX6SYYLVEUPBXXC2765PW4IY/
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/02/asia/camp-humphreys-us-south-korea-dst-intl-hnk
https://www.usfk.mil/About/CFC/
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqjre1zpz5ko
ibid"…the number of defectors returning to North Korea totalled just 31 from 2012 to 2022, according to the South’s Unification Ministry”
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/15/asia/south-north-korea-defectors-school-intl-hnk-dst"Upon arrival in South Korea, defectors must spend up to three months undergoing security checks by the National Intelligence Service (NIS)…”
ibid"All defectors arriving into South Korea are required to spend three months at Hanawon, essentially a school that teaches them to assimilate, before they are allowed to enter society.”
ibid"After finishing the program, defectors receive government benefits, such as an initial subsidy and housing support, as they begin their new lives.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39170614
See:- ‘Loyal Citizens of Pyongyang in Seoul’- ’In the Making of North Korean Defector Activists’ under the heading ‘Cash Payments for Defector Testimonies’- ‘Fame for North Korean defectors brings money, suspicion’
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