I have been living in South Korea for two years now and the most frequent question I’ve been asked by both foreigners and Koreans is: Why did you choose to study about North Korea? Sometimes I find it hard to answer, but the encouragements and thanks, I receive from south Koreans give me the strength to go forward with this crazy dream – I might say.
It is not easy to study about North Korea because we encounter so many limits/barriers and most of the time we can only guess or guide our research based on the stories/reveals of north Korean refugees.
Lately, the Government in South Korea gives more support to the Science Departments, and the humanist approaches are left behind. This change has affected the departments of North Korean Studies and now the Dongguk University is the only university to have a department of North Korean Studies. In addition, there is one more university focused only on studying North Korea.
In general, the young people are so preoccupied about their future that majoring in north Korean Studies is not their interest. Absorbed by daily routine, south Koreans are more and more uninterested about their neighbor in the north, although there are some persons who are keen on the unification process.
If you are curious about why I chose this major, I could give many reasons.
Starting with my freshman years, I began to grow an interest in North Korea, especially from the moment I started studying the national archives about the relation between Ceausescu and Kim Il Sung. At that time, I felt very sorry that I couldn’t find enough books to read because studies on the peninsula are very hard to find. In addition, although in the ‘70s our communist leader was very heartened about the Juche ideas and how Kim Il Sung ruled his own country, no relevant study was written in Romania about the Romanian-north Korean relations. The first reason that made me apply for this major was thus the lack of research on this topic. Another reason was that the communist regime in Romania was similar to the one in North Korea, so even if I haven’t experimented that regime (being born in the ‘90s) I was very impressed by my grandparents and parents’ stories, so I wanted to find out more.
Thus, I decided that South Korea was the ideal place where I can improve my knowledge about North Korea. It wasn’t an easy decision, but the enthusiasm made we conquer many obstacles and fears.
After I graduated in Romania, I applied for a Master’s program at Dongguk University – North Korean Studies department, with a specialization in politics for the unification. Currently, I’m in my third semester and I have to prepare for my graduation exams, as well as for my Dissertation thesis. The subject approached in my personal research (Dissertation) is about the friendly relationships between Romania and North Korean during 1965-1988.
In the group at University, we are only two foreigners, the others students being of Korean citizenship - two of them being north Korean defectors. For a year, when I had to attend classes, I noticed that there are still enough people who want to learn about North Korea – they are passionate about it and won’t let themselves discouraged by the difficulties they encounter as graduated students in North Korean Studies. I’ve learned that age or your personal background don’t matter: there is always a was as long as you have the will to continue to learn!
Although the majority of the studies are in Korean, both teachers and colleagues have always given me help and support. Being an important Department, we have a lot to read, but we all put all our effort and the classes are enjoyable. Usually, we have to prepare presentations on different subjects related to north Korea (ex. historical/ economical studies, about Juche ideology, etc.).
What impressed me the most is that everybody is interested in studying and no one is complaining or makes wrong assumptions: everyone is trying to be objective when judging the north Korean politics.
On 20 September 2016, all the students who are currently studying for Masters or Ph.D. participated at a supper to welcome the freshman students and to encourage the ones who are already involved in this journey. We rented a restaurant near to the University and for two hours we introduced ourselves, talked about why we chose this Department and about our dreams. Although I’m very far from home, I felt a warm family embrace and I was once more impressed that there are students who want to learn about North Korea. The atmosphere was very nice and the meeting ended with a toast for peace and reunification. Our Chinese friend who has just visited North Korea brought us north Korean alcohol which made this experience even more enjoyable and for a minute we felt close to our brothers in the north.
For those willing to find out more about North Korea, I kindly advise them to also apply and study here, because it will be a new and unique experience. And even though it is said that there aren’t many opportunities, I dare disagree. Currently, I’m enjoying this opportunity given to me by the Unification Minister to write about North Korea. So you just have to keep up and don’t give up, because where’s will, there is always a way!
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