Today, the Ministry of Unification in South Korea officiated the marriage of 5 North Korean Defector Couples in East Busan University.
Because North Korean defectors are the only population in the world with intimate, lived experiences in both sides of the peninsula, Everyonesfree believes that they must serve the irreplaceable function of negotiating the many cultural and political differences that will arise during any form or method of reunification. As such, we applaud and support this gesture by the Ministry which shows that the many defectors struggling to establish themselves in South Korea have not been forgotten by their government.
We hope that other organizations and the rest of the South Korean government will be inspired to follow in the Ministry's footsteps in supporting the wellbeing and acceptance of defectors in Korean society as when the time comes for reunification, defectors need to stand as more influential and accepted members of South Korean society for them to be able to serve as effective cultural negotiators on a national scale.