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On a second date last year, at an ivory restaurant by the sea, Kim Seo-yun revealed to her Korean boyfriend that she was from North Korea.
He fled North Korea more than 10 years ago. This is a secret that Kim has kept secret, which sometimes embarrasses her at having to tell it in a place where Korean fugitives often face discrimination.
Kim’s boyfriend, Lee Jeong-sup, jokingly asked her if she was a North Korean spy, but then assured her that there was nothing wrong with coming from North Korea.
Kim Seo-yun and her husband, Lee Jeong-sup. Image: AP.
Lee proposed to Kim in March, and in June, the two held a wedding at a hotel in Seoul. Kim’s family, still in North Korea, definitely cannot attend.
“In Korea, my husband is my everything. I have no one else close to me. He told me that he will not only act like a husband, but also try to treat me like a father.” Now I feel so much more confident, “shared Kim.
Such love stories are becoming more and more popular in Korea.
More than 70% of the 33,000 North Koreans who fled to South Korea were women. Although there are no official statistics on the number of runaway Korean women who marry South Korean men, a survey conducted by the South Korean government of 3,000 Koreans living in the country found 43% the number of married women and the same number than their Korean husbands, up from 19% in 2011.
Coming from a country of deprivation and backwardness, Korean women often find it difficult to adjust to the dynamic and changing life in Korea every day. They also face discrimination, prejudice, and isolation.
Some say they want to marry Korean men because they believe it will help them navigate a new life.
“I feel like my marriage is helping me integrate more deeply into this society without having to work too hard,” Hwang Yoo-jung, 37, said of her marriage to a man. Korea.
The number of matchmaking companies that specialize in matching North Korean women with South Korean men is booming, with around 20 to 30 active, up from just two in the mid-2000s.
“I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot of successful matchmaking for them because I came here alone and understood the suffering of other refugees,” said Kim Hae-rin, owner of a matchmaking office. in Seoul, share. “I feel like I am creating inter-Korean meetings.”
Hwang Yoo-jung’s little family. Image: AP.
Many of the women fleeing North Korea turn to matchmaking companies, often run by fugitives, to find Korean husbands. There is no such service for runaway men. They usually marry other Korean women or live alone.
Kim Seo-yun also runs such a company, called Unikorea, although she meets her husband, Lee Jeong-sup, at a dinner hosted by her friend.
“When I talked to her, I felt like I could develop a special relationship,” said Lee, 32, who now works for a food company. “It doesn’t matter that she’s from North Korea. I told her I don’t have a problem as long as she hasn’t been married before, doesn’t have secret children, and doesn’t have a criminal record.” .
However, there are still certain difficulties and differences in culture and lifestyle.
Lee said that he often has to limit the use of English words commonly used in Korea every time he talks to his wife. Meanwhile, Kim annoyed Lee by using Korean slang that he couldn’t minimize.
Hwang Yoo-jung said she was “very happy” when her husband, Seo Min-seok, 39, took her to a gathering of his friends, where she had to answer many related questions. to Korea. In contrast, Seo rarely asks Hwang about her years in Korea.
Husbands sometimes tease their wives with Korean-themed stories.
So Yu Jin said her South Korean husband used to tell her “just like Kim Jong-un,” the North Korean leader, when making family-related decisions without consulting him.
So she still enjoys spending time with friends from North Korea, who, according to her, are often more outspoken about their feelings than Koreans.
But not all South Korean-Korean couples have overcome difficulties.
Ahn Kyung-su, an expert at a private institute that specializes in health problems in North Korea, said that some women fleeing North Korea told him that their South Korean husbands often despise them. often and abusive of them.
For many others, the absence of family members in North Korea makes them feel sorry.
Kim Seo-yun said that she misses her parents and sister in North Korea and hopes to be able to meet them one day. Her mother sometimes called her on a Chinese cell phone borrowed from a fugitive.
When her mother called her in March, Kim showed her mother that she was going to marry “a big guy” who loved her very much.
In June, Kim’s mother called Lee and the two spoke for about a minute. Lee didn’t understand every word her future mother-in-law said due to her heavy Korean accent. After listening to the recording again, Kim told Lee that her mother told her to take care of her.
“Now, my husband loves me very much. The mother-in-law treats me very well, as does my brother-in-law. Like I have really strong support. I feel extremely happy,” shared Kim. .
Kim Hae-rin, a woman who escaped from North Korea, now runs a matchmaking company in South Korea. Image: AP.
Vu hoang (According to the AP)
