In this blog post, I’ll summarize what I learned and felt through the academic efforts I made, my school activities, and my experiences with compassion, sharing, and cooperation during my high school years.
Academic Experiences and Reflections
Upon entering high school, I developed a greater interest in social and current affairs. When I was younger, policies and systems felt like they belonged to someone else, but once I was directly confronted with the college admissions system, I realized that every system was connected to me. I came to recognize that even the college admissions system was not just a problem unique to our country, but something that could be evaluated and improved by comparing it with other nations; this led me to take an interest in international affairs and political issues.
In particular, the issue of Korea’s division stood out to me as a critical matter in need of resolution. Although the standard curriculum did not cover North Korean issues in depth, there was a unit in my Korean language class where we learned about the North Korean language and the realities of life in North Korea. During that time, my Korean teacher frequently showed us the talk show ‘Now We Meet’, which featured North Korean defectors, and through this program, I became aware of the challenges faced by defectors and the human rights situation within North Korea.
At first, rather than the grand goal of “unification,” I focused more on how to accommodate and protect North Korean defectors and on the severity of human rights issues within North Korea. So, once my interest in North Korean studies developed, I always kept North Korean issues in mind while studying law, politics, and world history. I made a conscious effort to connect the knowledge from each subject to North Korean issues to gain a deeper understanding.
I did not view North Korean issues solely through the lens of inter-Korean relations. I believed that only by considering the history and diplomatic contexts of neighboring countries could one accurately understand the situation. Furthermore, rather than immediately prioritizing human rights activism, I saw the need to identify the root causes—specifically, the ideological structures and institutional frameworks that lead to human rights abuses.
As a result, I concluded that we can take a step closer to true reunification only when we comprehensively understand North Korea’s human rights, economic, and political-ideological issues and identify areas for improvement. This perspective led me to adopt a learning approach that connected each subject within a broader framework based on current social issues and the international landscape, rather than focusing solely on specific subjects or studying solely for college entrance exams.
Description of Major School Activities and Reflections
In high school, based on Christian educational principles, the school held an annual speech contest on various human rights topics. I chose North Korean human rights as my topic for this contest, and since I had always been interested in the issues of separated families and North Korean defectors, I decided to delve deeper into those specific issues. While preparing for the speech contest, I took the time to listen to the voices of those directly affected and consider concrete ways to support them.
I began preparing in earnest about three weeks before the competition. I wrote my speech using as my primary sources a television program about North Korean defectors that I had watched during class and books detailing their personal experiences. Before researching these materials, I had only vaguely thought that support systems needed to be established; however, as I studied the relevant personal accounts and policies, I gained a clearer understanding of the specific aspects of the problem and potential solutions.
For example, I learned that while medical care and resettlement education are provided through “Hanawon,” a domestic resettlement support agency, mental health support is insufficient due to staff shortages and negative perceptions among the individuals themselves. I also confirmed that economic support alone has its limitations, as many North Korean defectors struggle to adapt to the capitalist system. Faced with these realities, I incorporated into my essay the importance of medical and counseling support, as well as the need for adaptation support through the provision of stable jobs.
In my speech, I emphasized the importance of “problem recognition and proposal” as the role of youth. I argued that while young people may have limited capacity to implement immediate solutions, the very act of studying and recognizing problems now—as the leaders of the future—is a crucial starting point for preparing for change. On the day of the speech contest, I strongly conveyed this point from the podium and endeavored to raise the audience’s awareness of these issues.
As a result, I won first place at the Unification Speech Contest and felt a deep sense of fulfillment from my preparations. The judges praised my speech for its solid structure and well-paced delivery, noting that it was a pleasure to listen to. I also felt a sense of pride upon receiving encouragement that my attitude conveyed sincerity and showed potential for growth as a scholar of North Korean studies, as well as seeing the audience’s positive reaction.
Examples of Compassion, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections
Inspired by the speech contest, I gathered with friends who shared my interests and one of my teachers to form a small group dedicated to supporting North Korean defectors. My teacher introduced us to a concert for North Korean patients hospitalized at the National Medical Center through a support organization she knew, and we immediately decided to volunteer. To prepare for the performance, we devoted ourselves to practicing our instruments and selecting our repertoire for about two months.
At first, I was very worried about whether we could master instruments we had never played before in just two months. Fortunately, with the help of friends from the band club and those who sang in the church choir, my bass guitar skills improved rapidly. On the day of the performance, we arrived early at the medical center to set up our instruments and played songs such as “Arirang,” “Moon River,” and “Our Wish Is Reunification.”
Although I made some mistakes due to nerves, the patients watching the performance clapped and enjoyed the music, and their reaction gave us great strength. After the performance, we took time to meet with each audience member individually and chat. The stories I heard over dinner had a profound impact on me. For example, I was deeply saddened to hear the story of a patient who, having lived as a street child in North Korea, had eaten many frogs and subsequently had to undergo multiple surgeries due to parasites.
As I listened to their stories, I offered words of comfort and encouragement, and during the meal, I made a point of being considerate and leading the conversation. Although it was simply a musical performance and a conversation, I was able to experience firsthand how our small collective effort could comfort and heal others’ hearts. What I learned through this activity was the value of “active empathy.” I deeply felt that small acts—such as meeting in person, listening, and spending time together—can be a great source of comfort to someone.
