North Korea defectors now seek political power in South
Park Choong-kwon was once a ballistic missile researcher in North Korea, one of the prized minds entrusted with developing
Kim Jong Un’s beloved weapons programme.
Next week, he is set to become a South Korean lawmaker, becoming only the fourth escapee from North Korea to serve in the democratic South’s legislature. He comes to the task with a mission.
“As a defector, I think I should play a role in inter-Korean relations,” said Park, 38, who is expected to enter the National Assembly in elections to be held tomorrow.
He is a candidate for the conservative party led by President Yoon Suk Yeol – who takes a hard line on North Korea – and is set to win through the proportional representation system, which guarantees a party a certain number of seats based on the share of votes cast for the party.
“I also want to fulfill my role as ... a young South Korean man. I want to do both.”
There are currently two North Korean defectors in the National Assembly: Tae Yong-ho, formerly a senior North Korean diplomat who is seeking re-election, and Ji Seong-ho, a North Korean human rights activist who is stepping down.
Park – together with a run by another escapee, Kim Geum-hyok, 32, who was also standing for the conservative party but dropped out after it became clear he would not get in this time – brought attention to the ambition of millennial North Korean escapees who aspire for leadership roles in South Korean society.
The two men want to set the agenda for inter-Korean relations and to be leaders who bridge the gap between the two halves of the peninsula should they reunify.
The pair know what they’re talking about. Park escaped from North Korea when he was 23. He had been studying at North Korea’s National Defence University, a training ground for engineers developing the country’s missile technology.
Kim was one of the few students at the prestigious Kim Il Sung University who were given the opportunity to study abroad. While in China, he embraced outside ideas and at age 20, he decided to flee.
As members of North Korea’s ultra-elite who had proved their political loyalty to the regime, Park and Kim were supposed to lead the future of the repressive country. “They were North Korea’s future,” said Hanna Song, of the Database Centre for North Korean Human Rights.
Instead, they risked their lives to flee. Now they are trying to effect change within South Korea’s democratic system.
Kim already has his eyes on the next election. “As long as we don’t give up, there will always be another election.”
– Washington Post