Life at Hanawon: A center for North Korean refugees adapts to pandemic changes



Features Life at Hanawon: A center for North Korean refugees adapts to pandemic changes A plunge in new arrivals has left facility deserted, and forced South Korea to rethink how it helps struggling defectors Shreyas Reddy July 11, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON North Korean defectors in a baking class at the Hanawon resettlement center \| Image: Ministry of Unification (July 10, 2023) For more than two decades, a sprawling campus in a quiet satellite of Seoul has provided thousands of North Korean refugees with their first exposure to life in the South. In 12 short weeks, new arrivals learn how to use a bank, how to find a job and how to vote. They receive health checkups and training in vocational skills like baking and nail painting. On Monday, three and a half years into the pandemic, the once-bustling facility was a ghost town. For more than two decades, a sprawling campus in a quiet satellite of Seoul has provided thousands of North Korean refugees with their first exposure to life in the South. In 12 short weeks, new arrivals learn how to use a bank, how to find a job and how to vote. They receive health checkups and training in vocational skills like baking and nail painting. On Monday, three and a half years into the pandemic, the once-bustling facility was a ghost town. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

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Life at Hanawon: A center for North Korean refugees adapts to pandemic changes

A plunge in new arrivals has left facility deserted, and forced South Korea to rethink how it helps struggling defectors

Shreyas Reddy July 11, 2023

Life at Hanawon: A center for North Korean refugees adapts to pandemic changes

North Korean defectors in a baking class at the Hanawon resettlement center | Image: Ministry of Unification (July 10, 2023)

For more than two decades, a sprawling campus in a quiet satellite of Seoul has provided thousands of North Korean refugees with their first exposure to life in the South. In 12 short weeks, new arrivals learn how to use a bank, how to find a job and how to vote. They receive health checkups and training in vocational skills like baking and nail painting.

On Monday, three and a half years into the pandemic, the once-bustling facility was a ghost town.

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Life at Hanawon: A center for North Korean refugees adapts to pandemic changes

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