Fostering jeong with North Korean defectors

I hope South Koreans open their hearts and connect with defectors and not treat them with suspicion.

I wanted to thank Seoul National University Prof. Kim Byung-yeon for his recent article “Let the defectors stand on their own feet” on the Sept. 12 edition of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

I felt a lot of pride when I read about the professor’s triumphs in education while studying abroad, and I’m obviously impressed by his performance and intelligence while studying in a second or other language. Koreans deserve our respect in their many pursuits.

However, the successful integration of North Korean defectors, or really any immigrants, into a larger and mostly homogeneous culture requires different skills than intellectual ability or academic study skills.

When I first came to Korea, I was lucky that I could meet one stern Confucian Korean and one faithful Korean Christian who taught me the value of ‘jeong,’ which is not really about friendship, not really about love, but also not really about dependence, either. Jeong has ensured the survival of the Korean people for 8,000 years and will ensure the survival of Koreans for another 100 generations.

My ‘jeong mates,’ or friends, taught me through experience that the lone wolf doesn’t survive long without a pack in Korea. North Korean defectors need jeong and they need the many relationships that are essential for survival in Korea. Helping friends provided connections for me that I could call on if I needed help or advice in some future situation.

Korean Confucians, Christians and Koreans in general call jeong by all kinds of names — but I don’t know how you could ever live without jeong in Korea. The last thing North Koreans need could be to “stand on their own feet.” I hope South Koreans open their hearts and connect with defectors and not treat them with suspicion.

I have no doubt that Korea will become richer by developing jeong and relationships with people who are just looking for a chance and knocking on your door.

Mike Sluchinski, a Canadian citizen