'Interview on A North Korean Child While Defecting'
What do you want to do when you go to South Korea?
I want to eat meat
ride motorcycles
eat cucumbers
Wait, cucumber?
Cucumber should be common (in North Korea)
Huh? Work?
He wants to work?
Why would he want to work?
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For today's video,
there's this interview on a 7 year old North Korean boy
asking what he wanted to do when he arrived in South Korea
Let's find out the details of the interview
'Interview on A North Korean Child While Defecting'
I saw this boy
when I first came to South Korea!
This boy was a Kotjebi
*Kotjebi - Homeless North Korean Children
He used to be a Kotjebi, but then defected North Korea
and to my knowledge, a pastor brought this child to South Korea
I remember it as that he was able to defect North Korea
with the help from a church
He's such a little boy
'Gone through too much for his age'
His age amazes me
'Gone through too much for his age'
It's terrifying to be caught attempting to defect,
but he's still a baby
Look how bright he is
Kim Jin Hyuk
This interview went viral in South Korea
I also watched it numerous times
and there's a clip with this boy in it
and it got tons of views
You can find a lot of videos on him
when you search 'Kotjebi Kim Jin Hyuk'
What does it say?
'What do you want to do when you go to South Korea?'
I want to eat meat
ride motorcycles
He's a baby and he wants to ride motorcycles
eat cucumbers
Wait, cucumber?
Cucumber should be common (in North Korea)
'What else are you going to do?'
Huh? Work?
He wants to work?
Why would he want to work?
But I can understand why
He used to be a Kotjebi
and so when he comes to South Korea
he wants to work to earn lots of money himself
to buy motorcycles and cucumbers
because I think he knows that
'It won't be free in South Korea'
In South Korea, children are given support for all this
to at support themselves
the government has such care programs
but he didn't know about that so
He was so poor and barely survived in North Korea
and all his friends had to work
so he must think that that's the norm
Studying..
You should study and become a great person
and not (working)
'Q. Kotjebi in North Korea?'
There's so many Kotjebi in North Korea
Let's say that I'm holding a cup of coffee in the street
then the Kotjebis would come and snatch it
If it's an ice cream?
They also snatch it
You leave your bicycle for like a second?
It'll be gone in an instant
They all snatch it
and you could see groups of Kotjebis at markets
(At markets) Kotjebi is all you can see
The funny thing is that
Kotjebis get married to Kotjebis
although they have no house
but they still have babies
and that baby just naturally becomes a Kotjebi
That was so heartbreaking
They are in no condition to take care of a baby
and so I couldn't understand why they'd have babies
They'd just carry their babies on their back
and that baby also becomes a Kotjebi
In the future, that baby will become a Kotjebi
I mean, was that really necessary?
'Why continue the vicious cycle?'
Why get married to each other?
They'd steal at the markets
sleep on the street
just lay sacks near warehouses and sleep
and yeah
wearing clothes all worn out
'Q. The Boy Wanting to Work in South Korea?'
I totally understand that, I would do, too
thinking
"No one would take care of me in South Korea as well"
He was more than used to taking care of himself
in North Korea
so I think that's why he wants to work in South Korea
I wouldn't even imagine
Kindergarteners mostly do that
young children from poor families
they'd, there are inner tracks for train tracks
so they'd rip those off and sell it
or the tracks are nailed down
and so if they can't rip off the tracks,
they'd sell off the nails
or steal a track and sell it off
This is mostly how they make a living
In my hometown in North Korea,
at Suseong District (Cheongjin)
there was a steel mill
and so it leaves metal shavings
and so these kids would carry sacks
to steal the metal shavings
They'd sell it off to buy food
or to give the money as allowance to their parents
'Q. North Korean Children Working Since Young?'
If they can walk, they'd pluck even with their tiny hands
I'd be walking by and see these children plucking
I think from the age of 5? 6? they'd start working
from a very young age
'Q. North Korean Children Working Since Young?'
'No Need for Parents' Consent?'
It's not necessary in North Korea, but
adults
when they go to sell these items,
they would go to adults
but if it's children that are selling these,
then the adults would buy them at a really low price
because they'd still sell it without complaint
so they'd still sell it for that low price
and give the money to their parents
because it's mostly the children from poor families
that work
Those from rich families
or have no concern on what to eat and wear
would be carefree and just study and play as they want
I also started cooking when I was 7 years old
I first cooked rice when I was 7 years old!
Rice, North Korean rice is
filled with rocks
because they aren't filtered properly
so you have to personally filter the rocks out
but I was lousy
and so my parents chewed on a lot of rocks as they ate
but I still did cook!
'Q. North Korean Children Working Since Young?'
'Those Injured During Work?'
If they are injured?
If they are injured, they'd just go home and apply ointment and all
I never saw anyone get seriously injured
and if they get seriously injured,
they'd be taken to the hospital and all, but
it's rare to get that badly injured
What insurance in North Korea
There's no insurance in North Korea
When I came to South Korea, (I was shocked because)
there was so many different types of insurance
even car insurance alone
I think I two
for the car insurance, there's this type
where you pay several thousands of dollars at once
and another type where you pay monthly
There's just so many
and then there's social insurance
There's so many different insurance in South Korea
'I need to make lots of money to pay for my insurance'
'I need to make lots of money to pay for my insurance'
I need to make lots of money
'I need to make lots of money to pay for my insurance'
'Q. North Korean Child Welfare?'
'Related Laws?'
Nope
'Q. North Korean Child Welfare?'
'Related Laws?'
There aren't even crosswalk lights
you have to cross accordingly
and I don't think there are any laws for children
You need to take care of yourselves
In South Korea, there's 30km/h speed limit near schools
'School Zones in South Korea'
but none whatsoever
you just have to take care of yourself
and it's just the parents' role to raise their kids well
'Q. North Korean Child Welfare?'
'Education?'
There is mandatory education
In North Korea, there's a 12-year mandatory education
but honestly, it's just called mandatory education
because nothing is provided
everytime you go to school
"Hand in scrap paper, Hand in scrap metal"
"Apply for the army"
"Hand in rabbit leather"
They just demand and demand
All of this, in a way, is our tuition fee
People say this in North Korea
"South Koreans pay tuition fee monthly,
but we pay tuition fee daily"
because they demand to pay everyday
so people would say things like that
'Q. North Korean Child Welfare?'
'Orphanage?'
There are a lot of orphanages in North Korea
but
the kids run away from the orphanges
and become Kotjebi!
Because even within such facilities
of course, they aren't allowed act out of their free will
but also aren't allowed to eat out of their free will
There was this person that I filmed a show with
and she was a daughter of a mother
who ran an orphanage of 105 children
and she was also one of the orphans
but life in that orphanage seemed really tough
She told me that some would just leave the orphanage
because the amount they can eat is limited
just to this certain amount
and also make them work and all
so the children would just leave the facility
looking for their freedom
Like me
'Q. North Korean Child Welfare?'
'Ideology Education(?)'
Mostly when in kindergarten
they give gifts to the children on
April 15th and February 16th
and you have to hold the gift and say
"Thank you, Father General
I am thankful for this gift"
like this thank you for the gift
and also (learn about) their childhoods
"Kim Il Sung shot a Japanese with a slingshot
when he was a kindergartener"
they teach you a lot of such stories
So, such rote learning starts from kindergarten
'Q. North Korean Child Welfare?'
'Children's Day?'
Yes, there is in North Korea
It's on June 1st and June 6th
June 1st is for those up to kindergarten
no, for up to 2nd graders,
it's Children's Day for them
and from 3rd grade and above,
they celebrate on June 6th
and it's called Juvenile's Day
They also have Field Day on Children's Day
and it's nice
It's the day when the parents spend a lot
but they don't buy the kids toys and all
like how they do in South Korea
on Children's Day in North Korea
Since the kids mostly participate the Field Day
they just buy you a lunch box meal
or buy you new clothes
There are parents that buy clothes for their kids
on Children's Day in South Korea, too
but the gifts are mostly toys, if they are young
But in North Korea, most parents buy their children
gym clothes or running shoes
So today, I talked about
should I say, the reality of life for North Korean kids?
I talked on this subject
and when I first came to South Korea
people were very interested in North Koreans
so the top searches on internet back then
were the videos or the interview done on Kim Jin Hyuk
It really went viral
Kotjebi Kim Jin Hyuk
It went viral
I didn't think that I'd get to speak on this subject today
but the fact that this young child
who struggled his way to come to South Korea
who's just 7 years old, said that
he wants to work when he arrives in South Korea
just aches my heart
That's how difficult the life for children in North Korea
and how lacking (the legal protection is)
I hope that laws on children would be made one day
I guess that would be possible only after unification
I'll always be praying for it
I'd be grateful if you'd pray for it, too
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Good Bye!
