Stranger Things

I was actually wondering about the "alleged" illegal gambling. I recall members posting a justification for it: raising money for charity. I'll have to see if I can find mention of that.

April 20: Special Counsel Raids Police Over Unification Church Cover-Up (The Chosun Daily)

QuoteThe comprehensive special counsel announced that they conducted raids on the National Police Agency, Gangwon Provincial Police Agency, and Chuncheon Police Station from the morning of that day. It was reported that the special counsel sent prosecutors and investigators to secure materials related to the suspicion of covering up the investigation into the Unification Church's overseas gambling case.

The suspicion of covering up the Unification Church investigation centers on the fact that the Chuncheon Police Station, despite obtaining intelligence in June 2022 that Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja and other executives gambled an amount worth 6 billion Korean won at a Las Vegas casino in the U.S. from 2008 to 2011, did not conduct an investigation. It was also confirmed that the Unification Church side, having prior knowledge of the related content, destroyed evidence and prepared for the investigation.

April 7, 2026: Religion & State Authority: What Happens When Religious Freedoms Clash With Child Safety? (ICSA Today)

QuoteA significant hurdle in prosecuting these cases is the tendency of some scholars and religious groups advocating to dismiss former members as "biased apostates." This classification often results in victim testimony being given less weight than the statements of group leaders. When reports of abuse are framed as attacks on religious freedom rather than human rights violations, the actual physical harm done to children is frequently downplayed or ignored.

I decided to provide of lists of books about North Korea I have read and plan to read one day. In 2015, I embarked in something of a North Korea readathon!

Nov. 2013: Tears of Blood: A Korean POW's Fight for Freedom, Family, and Justice by Yoo Young-bok


I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Yoo at a talk he gave at my university. Whenever I tell anyone his story, I have to fight back tears.

Reviews:

2013: Tears of Blood: A Korean POW's Fight for Freedom, Family, and Justice

"Ken" One of my former students was a North Korean soldier for 10 years - the length of North Koera's mandatory military service, and he certainly shared some fascinating anecdotes into that life.  While reflecting on my time spent with him - and why the hell haven't I been better at keeping in touch? I decided to look for articles that explore facets of those ten years.  He is interviewed in this article, as is my other long-term student before Covid, Sharon. I was there the days Sharon and Ken were interviewed to give some moral support. That was over 10 years ago? Wow.

May 20, 2015: North-Korean Refugee Forced Work Coal Reveals Journey (John Power for The Daily Mail)

QuoteThe famine in North Korea may be over, but poverty and hunger remains rife. More than a quarter of North Korean children are chronically malnourished, according to U.N. data, and the country's economy is roughly one fortieth the size of South Korea. And serving in the military was no guarantee of a meal at the end of the day.

One former soldier - another of the defectors who gather together in Seoul -  describes being constantly hungry during his 10 years of military service, which finished in 2010. The man, who goes by 'Ken' and doesn't want his face shown out of fear for his safety, says his meals in the army often consisted of little more than a small cup of rice and pickled radish. ... Despite years in the military, the earlier defection of his mother and brother left him blacklisted from work. 'I was always rejected because my mother and brother were missing,' he said. 'I could not even get a job that had much lower requirements than my skills and qualifications.'

I took a photo of the interview:


Ken was interviewed for this piece:
March 2, 2018: A North Korean's Unexpected Challenges in the South: Learning the Language & Ditching the Accent (CBC News)

QuoteThrough his years in the military, Eom was loyal to the regime, even after watching fellow soldiers get crushed under steel beams during forced construction projects in Pyongyang.

April 12, 2024: Young North Koreans Are Taking Pains to Avoid Military Service (Daily NK)

More articles will of course be posted when I have the time and inclination....

Jan. 22: North Korean Defections to South Korea Remain Low Years After COVID-19 Pandemic (Stars & Stripes)

QuoteThirteen fewer North Koreans defected across the southern border in 2025 than the year before for an annual tally of 223, according to recent data from South Korea's Ministry of Unification. Of those, 198 were women and 25 were men, a ministry spokeswoman told Stars and Stripes.

Still, the number of defectors making their way to South Korea the past three years is about one-fifth of those who defected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to numbers the spokeswoman provided. The pandemic lasted from March 2020 to May 2023, according to the World Health Organization. Before the pandemic, more than 1,000 people defected from North Korea annually, according to the ministry's statistics. Since then, an average of 200 have made their way south each year, the spokeswoman said. ...

March 28: I Escaped North Korea wWth my Mum. Now I'm Terrified She Might Be Sent Back (BBC)

QuoteIn response to a question from the BBC, the foreign ministry in Beijing said China was a country "ruled by law".

"Illegal immigrants are not refugees. China has always maintained a responsible attitude, adhering to domestic and international law, and handling these matters appropriately in the spirit of humanitarianism," the statement added.

The fact that I've neglected this thread for the past six years is a good a sign as any that I took a long and I think needed break from all of this - North Korea/South Korean cults etc. I also stopped volunteering with Teach North Korean Refugees, now called Freedom Speakers International, when Covid hit, and regretfully, I've yet to return to that although I keep in touch with some of my former students, one of whom has released a book which I will soon read. I was with Sharon the day this interview was conducted to offer some moral support. We're going to meet up soon, and I am so looking forward to catching up. Back to the topic with a video I just stumbled upon. And I hope one day soon to dig up and post articles published between Feb. 2020, the most recent article currently posted before this post, and today - March 31, 2026.

May 30: North Korean Defectors Struggle to Adapt to New Life in South Korea (France 24 English)

Sept.: A Defector's Journey (State Magazine)

QuoteAccording to a 2017 survey conducted by the Korea Hana Foundation, which provides educational and other support to North Korean defectors, the majority of North Korean defectors are of middle- and high-school age. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) extols the virtues of its educational system, including boasting a literacy rate of 100 percent, but a 2017 "Foreign Policy News" report indicates that 16 percent of North Korean class time is dedicated to studying political thought, which includes the propaganda-heavy history of Chairman Kim Jong Un and his family. While not as blatant as political thought classes, other subjects, such as math and English, also incorporate praise for the DPRK leadership: sample sentences from English textbooks proclaim Kim Il Sung's generosity and Pyongyang's beauty. Moreover, students who escape North Korea must put their education on hold, sometimes for many years. To reach the South, most defectors flee through China, where they are considered illegal immigrants and are subject to repatriation. When students who have defected try to pick up where they left off in South Korea, many find that they are far behind their classmates.

English—present in many aspects of South Korean life, from mandatory language classes beginning in elementary school to increasingly common loanwords—is a major barrier to defectors, including students, looking to build a life in the South. In public schools, defector students, who may become the targets of bullying, already face significant challenges adjusting to their new lives and school environment. Data from the South Korean government highlight the effects of an interrupted education on North Korean defector students. The high school dropout rate for North Korean defector students in 2018 was 2.5 percent, significantly higher than the 2018 dropout rate of 0.9 percent for South Korean students overall. Prominent commentators and South Korean NGOs that work with defectors attribute this outcome to the difficulties many defectors experience in trying to keep up with South Korea's fast-paced curriculum while simultaneously dealing with the social challenges accompanying defection.

Sept. 2: ROK Government to Establish Comprehensive Measures to Guarantee Social Stability of North Korean Defectors (Ministry of Unification)

Sept. 21: She Fled NK for a Better Life - She Died With Her Young Son in Seoul (CNN)

QuoteWhen defectors reach South Korea, they are given 8 million won ($6,704) cash. Two-person households also get unconditional welfare support of 870,000 won ($729) per month for six months, less than the country's average median income for a two-person household, which is 2.9 million won ($2,430).

Still, many defectors – like Han – struggle to find employment. A survey last year by South Korea's Unification Ministry of more than 25,000 defectors found their rate of unemployment is 2.9% higher than South Koreans. Almost 60% of those surveyed said that childcare obstructed their ability to gain employment.

Dec. 2: NK Defectors Caught in Vietnam Face Risk of Deportation (The Korea Herald)


Jan. 29: North Korean Would-Be Defectors Arrested in Emergency Operation Near China Border (Radio Free Asia)

Jan. 30: Seven Out of Fifteen North Korean Would-Be Defectors Arrested in Emergency Operation (The Union Journal)

Feb. 17: Former North Korean Diplomat's Smartphone Hacked Presumably by North Korean Group (The Korea Times)


Jan. 27: Number of North Korean Defectors Drops to Lowest Level in Two Decades (CSIS)


July 20: Beijing 'Actively Enables' Trafficking of North Korean women, Girls (The Korea Times)

Aug. 6: Why Are Over 70% of North Korean Defectors Female? (The Korea Times)

Jan. 2: Only One NK Defector Settled in US Last Year - Lowest Since 2006 (The Korea Times)

Feb. 18: Defector Arrested for Sending Rice to Pyongyang (Yonhap News)

Feb. 22: Two Decades After Being Sold as Bride, NK Woman Finds Salvation in Seoul (NBC News)

March 2: A North Korean's Unexpected Challenges in the South: Learning the Language & Ditching the Accent (CBC News)

QuoteHis Northern inflection struck his co-Koreans as foreign, a telltale sign that also led to problems in the South. "I could understand maybe 70 per cent" of the Korean conversations on the streets of Seoul, Eom, 37, said recently in an interview at an English school in the South Korean capital. "But on the different side, the South Koreans couldn't understand me! They couldn't understand our language."

Aug. 2: North Korean Women have Been Escaping to the South... But What Happens When Hope Leads to Disappointment? (Ann Babe for California Sunday Magazine)

Aug. 5: I Have Arrived in South Korea. Now What? (2) (The Korea Times)

Nov. 1: Lack of Women & Girls in China has Helped Create a Thriving Market For Trafficked Girls & Young Women from Neighbouring Countries (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

Jan. 5: Chatty & Joking, Elite NK Defector Becomes Media Star in South (Reuters)

Jan. 18: The Website Helping Defectors Adjust to Life in the South (NK News)

March 16: 45.4% of NK Defectors Experience Discrimination (The Korea Times)

April 4: NK Restaurant Workers Admitted to SK University Following Defection (The Korea Times)

April 17: NK Refugees Adjusting in UK (The Korea Times)

July 8: Defector Struggles With Life Outside Hermit Kingdom (ABC)

July 24: Family Of Five North Korean Defectors Arrested In China Takes Cyanide To Avoid Being Sent Home (The Daily Caller)

Aug. 31: Defectors Studying in Sydney Recall First Time Using the Internet & Tasting Cookies (ABC)

Sept. 2: Defectors Reveal What life is Like on The Other Side (New Zealand Herald)

Sept. 17: Gov't Official Accused of Selling Information About Defectors (The Korea Times)

Oct. 19: Defector & Ex-Con Caught 78 Days After Fleeing Mental Hospital (The Korea Herald)

Oct. 22: Defector Caught After Escaping From Mental Hospital (The Korea Times)

Oct. 24: Two Defectors Vanish in China (The Korea Times)

Nov. 4: Young Woman Who Fled NK to Australia had to Relearn Everything (Sydney Morning Herald)

Nov. 25: Defectors in Toronto Facing Deportation to SK (The Star)

Dec. 30: Defectors Must Overcome Big Challenge Once Free: Learn English (USA Today)

This was what I was wondering about when I posted the earlier links. If behavior is illegal in family settings/intimate relationships, why would it then not be illegal within larger groups of people?

March 31, 2026: If My Boyfriend Did What My Pastor Did, I Believe Police Could Investigate (The Guardian)