Currently, 25,000 North Korean refugees live in the Republic of Korea.  Although these refugees speak the same language, they face a number of difficulties in adjusting to South Korea’s fast-paced and ultramodern society, with many experiencing a very strong sense of isolation and alienation.  In the case of teenage refugees, many of whom are here without any family members, these difficulties can be greatly magnified.
To help meet the challenges faced by these young refugees, Yonsei University’s Wonju Counseling & Coaching Services, led by Professor Kwon Soo-young, provided the first “North Korean Teenage Refugee Mentoring Workshop” August 12-13 on the Sinchon Campus.  Attended by twenty South Korean high school students, the workshop was also designed to give these students an opportunity to engage in service leadership by volunteering as mentors.  In order to better understand the situation of North Korean teenage refugees, the student volunteers were given lectures by a North Korean defector who now works as a counselor in Seoul, and they prepared North Korean meals with Chef Hana Kim, who is also a refugee from the North.  On the second day, the students were exposed to a variety of methods for effectively mentoring North Korean teenage refugees, while being challenged to empathize with the plight of these youths.  The ultimate goal of the workshop, then, was to provide the South Korean volunteer mentors with techniques that can help their North Korean mentees realize their dreams in their new country.