North Korean Female Defectors Turn Into Entrepreneurs

Meet some of North Korea's female defectors making new lives for themselves as entrepreneurs, starting their own businesses in the restaurant and fashion industries in South Korea.

“Back then I could never imagine things like, ‘When will I ever become my own boss,’” says Soojin Joo.

Joo escaped from North Korea in 2000 because of hunger. After spending 12 years in China, she was able to make her way to South Korea. Using her mother's recipes, she is now a proud restaurant owner that sells blood sausage and North Korean food.

"It took me 2 years to finally open up to people with confidence, that I’m the CEO of my restaurant," says Joo who had to fight social and cultural stereotypes throughout her life in South Korea.

She is one of over 24,000 North Korean women living in South Korea -- many went through a perilous 3,000-mile journey crossing China and Southeast Asia.

Jihyun Kang left North Korea 9 years ago to pursue her dream of studying fashion. She had more access to outside culture including Korean and Japanese products as she lived in a port city called Chongjin in North Korea.

Kang is one of North Korean defectors who benefited from an entrepreneurship program Asan Sanghoe in South Korea where she met her business partner Marie Boes. Together, they are starting a fashion brand retelling stories of North Korean defectors through modern patterns on clothing items.

"We first interview North Korean defectors and create patterns based on their stories," says Kang, "I used to wonder, ‘We are the same people but why are people discriminating against North Koreans?’"

"In some ways, I think that North Korean women are better placed when they come to South Korea because they may have a variety of business experience in North Korea," explains Sokeel Park, South Korea Country Director of Liberty in North Korea, "and we've seen that especially over the last 20, 30 years, North Korean women being at the forefront of this grassroots marketization of the North Korean economy, often, in fact, emerging as the breadwinners in North Korean families."

"It's really exciting to see North Koreans come here and then use their ideas and opportunities and potential to jump into business down here. And so I think it's ‘watch this space’ kind of thing. I think that in future years, we will see a lot more young North Korean entrepreneurs creating a lot of success here in South Korea and around the world," adds Park.

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