North Korean Refugee Stories: Meet Nathan
Nathan was born in North Korea and lived there for 40 years. Though he experienced extreme oppression, hunger, and isolation from the outside world, he was not motivated to leave the country until he married and had his first son. Bringing a child into the world often changes one’s perspective on life, and for Nathan, that meant escaping North Korea to provide a better life for his infant son.
After connecting with LiNK and traveling through a treacherous 3,500 modern-day underground railroad with his wife and son, Nathan and his family are now resettled in South Korea where his determination continues to be apparent.
Often times, North Korean refugees have a hard time transitioning into life in South Korea, but Nathan isn’t one of them. His fiery personality hasn’t changed one bit. Even with his busy schedule, he manages to find time to meet as many strangers as possible, and he loves meeting foreigners. With not a shy bone in his body, he will go up to anyone, asking them about their day and where they’re from. Having lived in North Korea for the majority of his life, we are excited Nathan now has the chance to see such diversity.
In order to get a sustainable job, Nathan has enrolled in classes to learn computer repair. While he loves school, it’s a lot of work for him to go since the commute takes a total of three hours every day. Being out of the house so often means sacrificing valuable time with his wife and son, but he does his best to compensate for that by calling home on his lunch break every day! He’s also sure to spend quality time with his family on the weekend, but that alone isn’t enough for Nathan. He’s now taking classes to learn how to be a better husband and father. He truly sees his newfound freedom as a chance to improve himself in every way!
UPDATE: July 2013
Nathan is a dedicated husband and father. While his young son has been in and out of hospitals to treat a chronic medical condition, his wife has been staying by her son’s side, sleeping on cots and eating hospital food for days at a time. Despite Nathan’s demanding class schedule and long commute, he goes to the hospital to let his wife rest and cheer up his son. His wife became ill herself because she’s been so exhausted, but that didn’t stop her from bragging about her thoughtful husband.
