[USFK Forums] 20% of Defectors Need Psychiatric Care

[C. Y. Lee]

[Uploaded by C. Y. Lee, Monday, October 24, 2005] An article of the Korea Times appeared yesterday follows:

20% of N. Korean Defectors Need Psychiatric Care

The Korea Times, Sunday, October 23, 2005
By Seo Dong-shinStaff Reporter

ANSONG, Kyonggi Province _ A female North Korean defector clutches her baby tighter to her breast as her eyes widen upon seeing a group of reporters approach.

When some begin to ask her what they think are friendly questions, the 29-year-old woman who came to Seoul via Myanmar almost loses her balance as she steps back up the stairs behind her. Sensing her apparent nervousness, some give up and leave.

At Hanawon, nestled in the peaceful countryside, are North Korean defectors who made it to South Korea. They learn how to adapt to the capitalist South over three months, during which 420 hours of classes are given. A total of 50 hours, or 11.9 percent of the program, are spent on counseling the minds upset by long, anxiety-ridden journeys in the constant fear of being arrested.

``Most of them have undergone too many dramatic situations, such as crossing rivers,’’ said a 53-year-old female North Korean defector who graduated from Hanawon in 2000 and has been working as a consultant and lecturer here since last June.

``Their state of mind is like a balloon that is about to burst because of the stress from such memories,’’ said the woman, who does individual counseling for defectors, making the most of her experience as a teacher in North Korea, on condition of anonymity.

``I try to calm them as best as I can. There are some feelings I understand better being a defector myself,’’ she said in the interview.

The need for psychiatrists has often been raised during the National Assembly inspection of Hanawon under the Ministry of Unification. Hanawon has been discussing the issue with the Ministry of Health and Welfare for some time.

It has been difficult, however, to bring in more than public health doctors, who are obliged to serve in regions where medical services are scant for three years, as an alternative to mandatory military service. Delicate situations related to psychiatry or maternity are, therefore, either handled during voluntary doctors’ visits or taken to nearby Ansong Hospital or Dankook University Hospital in Chonan.

Jun Chung-hee, 44, a native of South Korea, has been working here as a nurse since the opening of the Hana Healthcare Center in May 2004 at one of the buildings in the compound of Hanawon, which occupies 67,200 square meters of land. The buildings have a combined floor space of 11,400 square meters.

``Some people here are overly obsessed with their health,’’ Jun said. According to her, sometimes there are 80 patients who want doctor’s examinations or treatment on a daily basis.

Hanawon can accommodate up to some 400 people, and currently there are 394 who are participating in the three-month education and training program, at different levels. For them, there are five public health doctors _ one physician, two of Korean medicine, one dentist and one general practitioner.

The most common pain North Korean defectors complain of is headache, according to Jun. While being educated about South Korea, some become very stressed because they cannot understand the South Korean language well, which differs from the North’s dialect in intonation, accent and many words imported from the West, Jun said.

``I think in some 60 percent of the total cases, psychological problems are being transferred to physical problems,’’ Jun said. Out of some 100 defectors who enter Hanawon at a time, some 20 to 30 are in need of psychiatric care, she added.

But the number of voluntary psychiatrists is low, although some do come on weekends on an irregular basis along with a few dentists, gynecologists and ophthalmologists.

Since its establishment in July 1999, Hanawon has seen an increasing number of graduates, reflecting the surge in the number of North Korean defectors to the South. From the first 28 graduates in 1999, there have been 220 in 2000, 538 in 2001, 1,029 in 2002, 1,146 in 2003, 1,742 in 2004 and 1,085 this year, making the total 5,788. Recently, the number of female defectors or ``family defection’’ cases has been on a steady rise, according to a Hanawon official.

``Those in their 20s or 30s who could endure the difficulties of the defection process and hiding take the lion’s share,’’ the official said. ``The minds of those who wandered foreign countries without nationality for years, hiding and escaping over and over again, cannot but differ from those who live peaceful lives.’’ saltwall@koreatimes.co.kr 10-23-2005 17:25