For the tens of thousands of North Koreans who have escaped their repressive homeland and completed the often-perilous journey to South Korea, the problems are often far from over. Some defectors face prejudice in South Korean society, according to a recent report looking at the experiences of new arrivals in the South last year — before the North Korean regime closed its borders amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to the report, defectors encounter barriers to education, accommodation and employment opportunities. Defectors report bullying, depression Yeong-nam Eom escaped North Korea in 2010 and now has a stable job and home in the South’s capital, Seoul. But he has experienced discrimination alongside fellow defectors. This came as they struggled to adapt to living in a society completely different from the one in which they grew up. As part of his master …
