Over a third of North Korean defector middle school students in South Korea do not feel pride in being South Korean citizens, a survey has found. Of the students polled in a study for the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI), a third also felt that South Korea was not a good place to live compared to the rest of the world.
While the findings are unsurprising given the well-documented struggles North Koreans face in adapting to life in the South, this survey may reveal as much about the nature of being a teenager as the students’ sense
Over a third of North Korean defector middle school students in South Korea do not feel pride in being South Korean citizens, a survey has found. Of the students polled in a study for the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI), a third also felt that South Korea was not a good place to live compared to the rest of the world.
While the findings are unsurprising given the well-documented struggles North Koreans face in adapting to life in the South, this survey may reveal as much about the nature of being a teenager as the students’ sense of pride in South Korea.
Dr. Sarah Son is a lecturer (assistant professor) in Korean studies at the University of Sheffield. She completed her Ph.D. on identity and inter-Korean relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London in 2014, before spending five years working in South Korea in the nonprofit sector on North Korean human rights issues.