Gwangju Seo-gu Hosts 'North Korean Defector Cultural Experience Event'

Published 10 Nov.2021 13:31(KST)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shin Dong-ho] Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Seo Dae-seok) announced on the 10th that it held a ‘Cultural Experience Event for North Korean Defectors’ on the 9th to support the stable settlement of North Korean defectors in the local community.

At the event, more than 20 North Korean defectors participated in sanding wooden boards, applying oil, and then engraving phrases such as their favorite poems, mottos, or famous quotes to create their own personalized cutting boards.

These North Korean defectors, who had been exhausted due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, were able to achieve emotional stability and form social bonds through various woodworking experiences, promoting mutual harmony.

One North Korean defector who participated in the event said, “I had been refraining from going out and living in frustration due to COVID-19, but gathering like this after a long time, talking, helping each other, and working on woodworking made me feel much better.”

Seo Dae-seok, Mayor of Seo-gu, said, “I hope that through this woodworking experience, North Korean defectors will regain vitality in life and emotional stability,” and added, “We will continue to pay close attention and do our best to develop support policies so that North Korean defectors can settle stably in the local community.”