이성희 아주통일연구소 연구교수

<인터뷰내용>

Q. What has your career path been in South Korea and North Korea? 

A. In North Korea, I worked as a middle and high school Korean language teacher for approximately 12 years in Wonsan-si, Gangwon-do. In South Korea, I taught elementary school students. Now, I am giving lectures at Ajou University and working at AIU. 

Q. How do North Koreans perceive South Korea? 

A. North Koreans know a lot about South Korea through media, and although it is illegal, they really like South Korean drama and music. Furthermore, North Koreans became more interested in South Korean society after the Moon Jae-in government held the various cultural events in Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital city. 

Q. North Korea is often described as a relatively closed society, with many residents living in poverty. How accurate is this portrayal? 

A. Indeed, there are a lot of people experiencing extreme poverty. Many people starved after the death of Leader Kim Il-sung, and the North Korean government tried to carry out economic reforms such as currency exchange policy to overcome difficulties, but failed. These are certainly difficult times for many people; but compared to earlier, there are many changes as the market is revitalized so it has not entirely failed. I believe that the Kim Jongun administration hopes to ease some of the economic sanctions imposed by China and Russia; especially Russia.