North Korean Defectors Share The Biggest Culture Shocks They’ve Experienced Living In South Korea

Four North Korean defectors recently sat down for an “imposter” game on Pixid‘s YouTube channel. In the video, the four shared their experiences escaping North Korea, including flying to South Korea by plane from China with a fake passport and traveling through China and Thailand to get to South Korea.

Upon arriving in South Korea, some of the “biggest culture shocks” included how often South Koreans were on their phones.

And that hot and cold water comes out of the same tap.

They were also surprised by places that were open for 24 hours straight.

And that some people were unemployed in South Korea. In North Korea, the regime gives you your job, which means everyone is working. Although notably, “they don’t pay you.”

And everyone agreed that the language was also a culture shock, as South Koreans frequently use abbreviations and English.

This means that, even though they “use the same language,” sometimes it is difficult for the defectors to understand signs in South Korea.

Another difficulty that the North Korean defectors faced upon moving to South Korea was the absence of childhood friends they grew up with, making them feel lonely in their new homes.

But they also shared that South Korea has programs to help defectors adapt to life in South Korea, which is how the defectors could identify the imposter, as he claimed he had been recklessly spending with his new credit card.

You can watch the full video here.