Healing hearts after North Korea

 

South Korea has the highest suicide rate in the world — but for North Korean refugees, the situation is even worse. Their suicide rate is nearly three times higher than that of South Koreans, as first reported by the Korea Institute for National Unification in 2015. Nearly half of North Korean refugee women experience suicidal thoughts, and 18 percent have attempted suicide within the past year, according to a research team led by Boyoung Nam. While dramatic escapes and survival stories capture public attention, a silent crisis unfolds after resettlement: the mental health struggles of North Korean refugees.

On March 1, I will lead a one-hour Freedom Speakers International workshop at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s (HGSE) Alumni of Color Conference (AOCC) to shed light on this issue. This marks my third consecutive year presenting and fourth overall at HGSE AOCC, including the inaugural 2003 conference, where I spoke on education choices in Washington. This year, I will be joined by FSI co-founder Lee Eun-koo and Monroe MBA graduate student Lim Eun-ji.

My presentation this time will focus on how North Korean refugees often remain trapped in invisible struggles even after escaping the physical and psychological oppression of North Korea.

North Koreans often witness executions, endure starvation and suffer brutal abuses, leaving psychological scars that do not fade overnight. Studies indicate that North Korean refugees experience post-traumatic stress disorder at significantly higher rates than other populations with women experiencing even greater distress due to sexual violence, forced separation and coercion into exploitative situations.

North Korean refugees escape from a world where psychological issues are often dismissed as personal weakness. The result? Many suffer in silence, reluctant or unable to seek help.

Recognizing the mental health struggles of some North Korean refugees, the South Korean government has gradually expanded its support services. The 1997 North Korean Refugees Protection and Settlement Support Act laid the foundation for refugee support, and Hanawon, a resettlement center established in 1999, includes psychological counseling as part of its integration program.

Despite these efforts, many North Korean refugees report feeling isolated and struggle to trust mental health professionals. Financial barriers, lack of specialized trauma counselors and cultural stigma further limit their access to care.

Non-governmental organizations play an essential role in bridging the gaps. However, many refugees remain unaware of these services and cultural stigma prevents some from seeking help.

As I researched this subject, I came across data revealing that children of North Korean refugees often struggle with anxiety, academic pressure and identity confusion. Research shows that 52 percent of second-generation North Korean refugees report experiencing discrimination in school, while 41 percent of parents struggle to emotionally connect with their children due to unresolved trauma.

Over the past 12 years that I have been co-leader of Freedom Speakers International (FSI), I have witnessed numerous cases of North Korean refugees struggling with adjusting to life in South Korea. My co-author, Han Song-mi, struggled with undiagnosed trauma for almost a decade after escaping North Korea in 2011. Because we wrote about it in her memoir, I will discuss her case here as opposed to many who have talked off the record with FSI co-founder Lee Eun-koo and myself.

Song-mi initially felt free but realized she carried deep psychological scars. Searching for stability, she contacted me on Instagram expressing interest in studying English with FSI in 2019 as a way to save herself. Through counseling and community support, she processed her trauma and rebuilt her relationship with her mother, who had escaped years before her. Today, she is a published author and public speaker, proving that with the right support, healing is possible.

Other North Korean refugees I have talked with discuss having nightmares from their brutal treatment in North Korea and China. Numerous North Korean refugees have talked about having nightmares of being captured and sent back to North Korea. Several North Korean refugees said they recovered quickly only to later regress. Some others felt South Korea was still too close to North Korea and they immigrated to a third country and left North Korea in their pasts.

Some people suggest that FSI should actively recruit North Korean refugees or try to get connected to Hanawon to reach out to them. However, we take a passive approach. We don’t want to encourage anyone to speak out before they are ready. By the time they find us, which preferably happens after they have lived in South Korea for several years, they have settled down and are ready to share their stories.

Escape from North Korea is just the beginning. For many refugees, the real struggle begins after resettlement, as they confront trauma, isolation and the challenge of building new lives in an unfamiliar society. Some find purpose through education, work or community, while others wrestle with memories that refuse to fade.

Casey Lartigue Jr. (CJL@alumni.harvard.edu) is the co-founder of Freedom Speakers International with Lee Eun-koo; and co-author with Han Song-mi of her memoir "Greenlight to Freedom: A North Korean Daughter’s Search for Her Mother and Herself.”