Minister of Unification Jeong Dong-young stated at a post-presidential briefing at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 19th that he emphasized the need to send a 'special envoy for Korean Peninsula peace' by saying, "We are the parties concerned in the Korean Peninsula issue." [Photo = Yonhap News]
Twenty years ago, Minister of Unification Jeong Dong-young entered North Korea, met with Kim Jong-il, and afterward, there was much controversy as he suddenly tried to change the term 'defector' to 'Sae-teomin' (newcomer).

Twenty years have passed, and Jeong Dong-young has once again become the Minister of Unification, and this time he is again trying to change the term for North Korean defectors, throwing the defector community into chaos. I am writing a few words because Jeong Dong-young's actions are so disgusting.

Defectors are not abandoned stray dogs... Don't change their names as you please

Does Jeong Dong-young see defectors as abandoned stray dogs? The people who have escaped North Korea are the defectors themselves. Why, and with what right, are you trying to change someone else's name twice at your own will?

Defectors have never asked for their name to be changed, nor do they wish for it to be changed. So why is Jeong Dong-young committing this kind of dirty act twice?

In the current Lee Jae-myung administration, even former lawmaker Tae Young-ho, who served as Secretary-General of the Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification, is being forced out. Changing the name will do nothing to change the circumstances of defectors.

In 2017, the then-Mayor of Seoul, Park Won-soon, flattered Kim Jong-un by holding a naming contest to change the term 'defector,' but nothing changed.

After that, the Ministry of Unification eventually changed the term 'defector' to 'Sae-teomin,' and the North Korean Refugees Foundation was also changed to the 'Nam-buk Hana Foundation.' They arbitrarily changed the names without consulting the defectors, who are the parties concerned.

Ultimately, this is proof that Jeong Dong-young views defectors as abandoned puppies who have no right to claim their own names.

Some people say that the word 'defector' has a negative meaning, but they are truly ignorant.

The character '탈' (tal) is the Hanja character '脫' (tal), meaning to shed or escape. The next character '북' (buk) is the Hanja character '北' (buk), meaning North Korea. '자' (ja) means 'person.' Therefore, '탈북자' (talbukja) means a person who has escaped North Korea, a land of hunger and abuse, in search of freedom.

From 'Sae-teomin' to 'Bukhyangmin' this time?

Then why is Jeong Dong-young trying to change our name to 'Sae-teomin' and now desperately trying to change it to 'Bukhyangmin' (people heading north)? We defectors proudly state: Jeong Dong-young is a pro-North Korean element, trying to curry favor with North Korea and flatter the North Korean dictator.

Furthermore, some ignorant people pretend to know by saying that the '자' (ja) in '탈북자' (defector) is the Hanja character '者' (ja), which has a negative meaning, so it should be written as '탈북민' (talbukmin). While it doesn't matter whether they are called defectors or talbukmin, do not make ignorant and forced arguments.

If the meaning of '자' (ja) were so bad, shouldn't '애국자' (patriot) now be called '애국민' (patriotic people) and '노동자' (worker) be called '노동민' (laboring people)?

If the word '자' (ja) truly contained a bad meaning, why would North Korea use terms like 'Great Leader,' 'Dear Leader,' 'Communist,' 'Loyal Subject,' 'Enthusiast,' and 'Educator'?

In the end, the character '자' (ja) simply means person, and has no other meaning.

Moreover, some defectors go a step further and argue that defectors should be called 'Tongil-in' (unification people), 'Jayu-in' (free people), or 'Ibukh-9dom-in' (people of the 9 northern provinces). These people are, in a way, more foolish than pro-North Korean elements like Jeong Dong-young.

'Defector' is a term that the North Korean regime shuns

How can a person who is currently in South Korea be a 'person of the 9 northern provinces'? And why abandon the term 'defector,' which the Kim family regime of North Korea dislikes the most, and suddenly call themselves 'unification people' or 'free people'?

The term 'defector,' which signifies escaping dictatorship and starvation to find freedom, is the most appropriate name for us to maintain our identity.

The North Korean dictator fears and dislikes the term 'defector,' which is why he uses pro-North Korean lackeys like Jeong Dong-young to try to eliminate that name.

Furthermore, the term 'defector' is already widely known worldwide and is a familiar name to the 70 million people of both Koreas. That is why, even 20 years ago, when Jeong Dong-young changed it to 'Sae-teomin,' no one used that name, and it eventually became defunct.

However, if defectors themselves are clamoring to be called 'unification people,' 'free people,' or 'people of the 9 northern provinces,' who would ever recognize or call them by such names?

Any defector with a sound mind should not forget their identity and should be enraged by the dirty games of pro-North Korean elements like Jeong Dong-young, who are loyal to North Korea.

◆ Advisor Kim Tae-san

Advisor to Hankmi Ilbo, former head of a North Korean trading company in the Czech Republic. In South Korea, he has been active as the Vice President of the North Korean Social Research Institute, providing in-depth insights and experience on inter-Korean relations and North Korean issues.