Saejowi

04/07/2025

12/09/2024

1. North Korean Defectors and Chuseok in South Korea 🌾

For North Korean defectors living in South Korea, Chuseok is both a time of cultural tradition and a reminder of the challenges of integration. While many honor ancestors and celebrate, others face economic or medical hardships and social isolation, which can impact their ability to fully enjoy the holiday. 💔

Reports show that many defectors struggle with issues such as mental and physical health and financial instability, making holidays like Chuseok bittersweet. It is important to emphasizing the importance of community events as well as medical and social support. 🙏✨

Despite the difficulties, Chuseok remains a meaningful time for reconnecting with cultural roots. 🌕
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2. Chuseok in North Korea: A Time for Tradition and Family 🌾✨

Chuseok, also known as Korean Thanksgiving, is celebrated in North Korea with a strong focus on honoring ancestors and connecting with family, similar to South Korean traditions. Families come together to pay respect to their ancestors by visiting gravesites, offering food, and performing ceremonial rites known as “Charye” (차례). 🍚🙏

Though festivities may differ slightly, North Koreans also celebrate with traditional foods like songpyeon (rice cakes), and engage in folk games and dances to mark the harvest season. 🥮🌾

While North Korea celebrates Chuseok with familiar customs like ancestor worship and traditional foods, the holiday is deeply influenced by the country’s collectivist values. Families honor their ancestors, but celebrations are often simplified and travel is restricted. State-sponsored cultural performances bring communities together, blending harvest traditions with national pride. 🌍🍂

Despite the political divide, Chuseok remains a shared cultural holiday across the peninsula, highlighting the deep-rooted customs that bring families together. ❤️

#추석 #한가위

05/08/2024

Interview🎭

💬: What is your role in “Small Happiness”?
I play the mother, a North Korean escapee, in the play.

💬: How do you feel about taking part in the theater?
As an amateur actress, I was nervous about performing with mostly South Korean actors. However, they were very supportive, and we bonded well. I felt happy and welcomed.

💬: What does the play teach the viewers?
The play highlights North Korean human rights, focusing on North Korean student rights and the challenges North Korean defectors face in South Korea, especially regarding employment struggles, unfair treatment, and discrimination.

💬: What does it mean to you to stand on the stage for “Small Happiness”?
My personal experience with a voice phishing scam connects deeply with the play’s theme. Despite the main character's despair, the play ends on a hopeful note. It reminded me of my own experiences and the struggles many North Koreans face.

💬: What are your favorite parts of the play and why?
The mother figure comes to South Korea with her daughter, who was at a young age back then. As her daughter gets older, she wants to make money and be employed as fast as possible so her mother would be happy. In my personal case, I am somebody who does not know what my daughter is doing and where she is. I am very happy when I talk to my fictional daughter in the play and display my self-criticism on the stage when my fictional daughter thinks about breaking up with her boyfriend because her mother got scammed. It resembles a lot of my own personal despair I felt and are the parts that I got to like most about the theater.

💬: What kind of influence do you think the theater has on the student viewers?
There are many students from North Korea who hide their origin and have a hard time during a job interview when it is revealed that they are from North Korea. It is good that this gets told to the South Korean students. Moreover, I think that many South Korean students neither know well about the concept of unification nor the human rights situation in North Korea. This theater helps to understand North Korean human rights issues, making the concept of unification more relatable.✨

12/07/2024

✨ Introducing our second Medical Counseling Center!

📍Located in the North-Eastern part of Seoul, this center provides essential medical counseling for North Koreans, offering a safe space to share thoughts and experiences before and after visiting other medical facilities.

🌟 Established in 2012, the medical counseling center quickly became a crucial spot for North Koreans seeking medical help and counseling.

💬 Our dedicated medical counselor, who studied social welfare and counseling in Seoul, deeply understands the unique needs and experiences of North Korean patients, providing personalized and empathetic care regardless of how long they've been in South Korea.

Stay tuned for Part 3! 💕

✨ 두 번째 의료 상담 센터를 소개합니다! ✨ 서울 북동부에 위치한 이 센터는 북한 이탈 주민들에게 필수적인 의료 상담을 제공하며, 다른 의료 시설을 방문하기 전후에 생각과 경험을 나눌 수 있는 안전한 공간을 제공합니다.

🌟 2012년 새조위 상담실은 북한 이탈 주민들이 의료 도움과 상담을 찾는 중요한 장소로 빠르게 자리 잡았습니다.

💬 서울에서 사회복지와 상담을 전공한 헌신적인 의료 상담사는 북한 이탈 주민들의 독특한 요구와 경험을 깊이 이해하며, 남한에 거주한 기간과 관계없이 맞춤형이고 공감 어린 케어를 제공합니다.

파트 3도 기대해 주세요! 💕 #의료상담 #서울 #북한 #의료서비스 #지원 #커뮤니티 #새조위 #탈북민

12/07/2024

[THEATER/연극]
Last week on July 2, 2024, Saejowi successfully started its new theater called "A little joy" (작은 행복) ✨

This year, we're shedding light on North Korean human rights through "A Little Joy," our second theater play dedicated to this crucial issue.

🌍 Sponsored by the Ministry of Unification and hosted by Saejowi (led by CEO Shin Mi-nyeo), the play debuted at Yongsan Middle School in Daegu on July 2, 2024, followed by Iri D**g Middle School in Iksan on July 3, 2024. Over the next month, our North Korean actors will visit 12 schools nationwide to ignite awareness about human rights in North Korea and foster unity.

📚 Since 2014, Saejowi has been passionately staging plays on North Korean settlement in South Korea and unification. Our 15th production aims to engage over 10,000 students, inspiring them to care about Korean peninsula unification and North Korean human rights.

🎬 Director: Kim Young-soo (Director, North Korea Research Institute)
🎥 Directed by: Lee Joo-han
📝 Author: Jang Han-byeol

Here are some updates pictures on last and this week's plays held different schools in South Korea!

🎭 새조위의 최신 연극 작품 소개합니다! 🌟 올해는 "작은 기쁨"을 통해 북한 인권 문제에 대해 다룹니다. 이는 2023년 이후 두 번째로 북한 인권을 주제로 한 연극입니다.

🌍 통일부 후원, 새조위(CEO 신미녀) 주최로, 연극은 2024년 7월 2일 대구 용산중학교를 시작으로, 7월 3일 익산 이리동중학교에서 공연되었습니다. 이후 한 달 동안 북한 배우들과 함께 전국 12개 중고등학교를 방문하여 북한 인권 문제와 통일의 중요성을 알리고자 합니다.

📚 2014년 이후, 새조위는 지속적으로 한국 남북 이주자의 정착과 통일을 다룬 연극을 상연해왔습니다. 이번 15번째 공연은 1만 명 이상의 학생들이 관람할 것으로 예상되며, 젊은이들이 한반도 통일과 북한 인권 문제에 관심을 가지길 희망합니다.

🎬 감독: 김영수 (북한 연구원 소장)
🎥 연출: 이주한
📝 작가: 장한별

지난번 업데이트 사진과 이번주 한국의 여러 학교에서 진행된 연극 사진입니다!

12/07/2024

📍 National Medical Center, Seoul (국립중앙의료원)

✨ Welcome to Part 1 of our Medical Counseling Introduction Series! ✨

At the heart of Seoul, the National Medical Center's counseling room is a sanctuary where North Koreans receive essential medical advice and services.

🌟 Since its inception in 2006, our center has offered personalized medical assistance and counseling to over 9,000 patients. Here, you'll find not only North Korean patients but also former patients sharing their experiences, relaxing, and connecting with others.

💬 Meet Mrs. Lee, the heart and soul of our counseling room. With a unique blend of empathy and professional counseling, she ensures each patient feels understood and secure in South Korean society. This humane interaction is crucial to meeting the individual needs of our patients.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

환영합니다! 메디컬 상담실 소개 시리즈의 제1부에 오신 것을 환영합니다! ✨

서울의 중심에 위치한 국립의료원 상담실은 북한 주민들이 중요한 의료 상담과 서비스를 받는 안식처입니다.

🌟 2006년 설립 이래, 저희 센터는 9,000명 이상의 환자에게 맞춤형 의료 지원과 상담을 제공해 왔습니다. 이곳에서는 북한 환자뿐만 아니라 과거 환자들이 경험을 나누고, 편안하게 쉬며 다른 이들과 소통하는 공간입니다.

💬 이곳의 핵심, 상담사를 만나보세요. 그녀는 공감과 전문적 상담의 독특한 조화로 각 환자가 한국 사회에서 이해받고 안전하다고 느낄 수 있도록 도와줍니다. 이러한 인간적 상호작용은 환자의 개별적인 필요를 충족시키는 데 중요합니다.

12/07/2024

🏥Our most crucial work since over 20 years: medical counseling support to North Koreans residing in South Korea!

🌟As of 2024 our 4 medical counseling centers in South Korea have provided crucial medical and counseling services to over 13,000 patients!

9 out of 10 North Koreans arrive with untreated illnesses and PTSD, making our medical support essential for their integration into South Korean society. Addressing these needs enables them to focus on their future paths in education and employment.

Navigating medical facilities can be daunting for North Korean newcomers. Our previous surveys highlight language barriers and communication challenges with doctors and nurses.

🫂 At Saejowi, we offer comprehensive medical counseling and registration support to ensure effective treatment.

Stay tuned as we introduce each of our 4 medical counseling centers across the country! ~~

🌟 Visit also our Instagram page where we post news about our current theater that started on July 2nd, 2024!

🏥 20년 넘는 세월 동안 가장 중요한 일: 한국 내 거주하는 북한 주민들에게 의료 상담 지원을 제공하는 것!

🌟 2024년 현재, 저희의 4개 의료 상담 센터는 13,000명 이상의 환자들에게 중요한 의료와 상담 서비스를 제공해 왔습니다!

북한 이탈주민의 9명 중 10명이 치료되지 않은 질병과 PTSD를 가지고 도착하며, 이로 인해 저희의 의료 지원이 한국 사회로의 통합에 중요한 역할을 합니다. 이러한 필요를 충족시키는 것은 그들이 교육과 취업을 위한 미래 계획에 집중할 수 있도록 돕습니다.

북한 이탈주민들에게 의료 시설을 찾아가는 것은 어려울 수 있습니다. 저희의 이전 조사는 언어 장벽과 의사 및 간호사와의 의사소통 문제를 강조했습니다.

🫂 "새조위"에서는 효과적인 치료를 보장하기 위해 포괄적인 의료 상담 및 등록 지원을 제공합니다.