Koryoin Escaping Ukraine Face 'Difficult Life in Korea' One Month After Arrival

'2.47 Million Won Total Assets' Family of Four..."Living in a Small One-Room, Employment Is Also Not Easy"

Ms. Moon Natalia (right), who settled in Gwangju Goryeoin Village.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Junho] "I feel lost about how to live from now on."

This is what Natalia Moon (40, female), a third-generation Koryoin whom I met at the Gwangju Koryoin Village Comprehensive Support Center on the 22nd, said. She fled urgently from the war zone in Ukraine, carrying only emergency funds of 2.47 million won. This amount is far from enough to support her parents and live with her husband.

Having recently completed the registration process at the Immigration Office and obtained a foreigner registration card, she started looking for a job the day before. Her husband entered on a compatriot visit visa (C-3-8), which allows a 90-day stay but does not permit work. Until his visa is changed, she must fulfill her role as the 'head of the family' diligently.

She said, "I am currently relying on my older brother and younger sibling who settled in the Koryoin Village long ago, but I cannot depend on them forever. I plan to settle and live in Korea for good, and if given the opportunity, I want to work as an interpreter."

Moon graduated from a local university's Korean language department and is fluent not only in Ukrainian but also in Russian. However, she confessed, "My husband has just started learning the Korean alphabet 'Ganadara,' so he is quite clumsy and finds daily life inconvenient."

The house they currently live in is a small studio of about 33㎡. Before Ukraine became the powder keg of Europe, she and her husband lived comfortably in a house with five rooms.

Moon lamented, "I abandoned my home and came as a refugee, but the road ahead looks tough. There are many inconveniences due to the small space."

She added, "I can't even dream of having 'shashlik,' the Russian-style skewered meat we often grilled in the yard of our old house. Cooking in the studio is very difficult because of the smell and smoke. I miss those peaceful days so much."

She lived in a small city in Mykolaiv Oblast in southern Ukraine but suddenly became a refugee.

Escaping the Russian military's gunfire and shells, she went to the port city of Odesa on the 15th of last month, then took a bus and a ship two days later to Romania. After waiting for two weeks due to visa issuance issues, she boarded a flight to Korea.

Recalling the evacuation, she complained, "The lively neighborhood was scattered with glass shards from bombings, and unexploded missiles on the roads caused fear."

She continued, "Even after coming to Korea, I watch the news every day and my heart aches seeing villages turned to ruins by Russian bombings. I hope the war ends as soon as possible."

Now, she is overcoming the horrors of war, building memories, and finding small happiness in Korea. Moon smiled, saying, "The tulip festival in Imjado, where my family went on a trip for the first time, remains memorable. When I have more leisure, I want to listen to K-pop and personally experience Korean culture."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.