North Korea trauma
The culture shock that destroys children's identity
In North Korea: “I had never been asked who I was or how I felt. Your [only] value is in how much you contribute to the group”.
Arriving in South Korea: “I felt I would have to live my whole life alone”
This week:
North Korean escapees, “defectors” in Seoul, building diplomatic relations with Pyongyang
latest update on 10 short diplomacy programmes
train at the European Parliament; become a fellow in Reykjavik
“I felt myself to be a ‘conditional I’: someone accepted only if part of your identity remains invisible.”
In the early 2000s, posted to Seoul, I made a series of visits to North Korea to establish diplomatic relations from about zero.