Скачать или смотреть 북한 여성인권 인터뷰 - #2 유하나 (북한의 결혼생활, 가부장제와 가정폭력) | North Korean Women’s Voices #2 Yu Ha-na

2025년 탈북민 인터뷰에서는 북한의 여성인권에 대한 이야기를 전합니다.

유하나님은 북한의 결혼생활, 가부장제와 가정폭력에 대해 이야기 합니다.

※ 이 영상은 대만 민주주의 재단의 후원으로 제작되었습니다.


North Korean Women’s Voices: Yu Ha-na Interview #2

Born in North Korea, Yu Ha-na is a defector who has lived in South Korea’s Gangwon Province since 2013. With a military family background, she spent ten years serving in the North Korean military and experienced firsthand the hardships, human rights violations, and systemic neglect faced by ordinary citizens.
In this interview conducted by PSCORE, Yu Ha-na shares her story of resilience, including the challenges she faced after leaving state-supported compounds, the lack of education and medical infrastructure, and her survival through domestic violence and societal oppression. She reflects on the struggles of women in North Korea, the expectations placed on them, and the urgent need for human rights awareness and gender equality.

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※ This video was made possible thanks to the TAIWAN FOUNDATION for DEMOCRACY

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The strength and resilience of North Korean women are foregrounded in the testimony of Yu Ha-na, who, since defecting in 2013, now resides in Gangwon Province, South Korea. During her life in North Korea, Yu Ha-na came from a military background and served in the military for ten arduous years. Due to her family’s military background, her younger years were spent in state-subsidized compounds that provided rice, rations, and other benefits. However, once individuals such as Yu Ha-na left these compounds to pursue their own employment, these benefits ceased to exist, and the struggle to survive began.

Throughout Yu Ha-na’s time in the military, she provides a firsthand account of the negligence and human rights violations enacted by the state and individuals in power towards its citizens. Most profoundly, the repercussions of the lack of education affected many of her acquaintances. For example, she recounts the story of a fellow comrade who did not know she was pregnant and believed her stomach was swelling for other reasons due to a lack of sexual education and medical checkups. In another instance, she describes having to advise a close male friend who was preparing to get married but had no understanding of what to do. He knew that marriage involved being with a woman but had no broader comprehension of the relationship itself. Both stories highlight the serious issues arising from the absence of adequate educational and medical infrastructure for citizens.

In addition, Yu Ha-na opened up about her experience as a survivor of domestic violence and the prevalence of such abuse within the DPRK. The violence began four months into her marriage when her husband’s gambling addiction came to light. Her money and valuables were stolen to fund his gambling habit, and the abuse continued throughout her pregnancy. It escalated to the use of objects such as axes, shovel handles, pitchforks, and rakes, which he used to chase or hit her. Remarkably, her husband’s violence was not hidden but was carried out openly for many to witness. Yu Ha-na recalls a time when she was beaten by her husband while holding her child on her lap, in front of her brother-in-law, who told her, “If you kept your mouth shut, you wouldn’t get beaten—you bring the beating upon yourself.”

During these violent episodes, there were occasions when the police were called to scenes of bloodshed, but instead of helping, they would simply state, “This is a family fight… we cannot intervene in a marital dispute.” A similar incident occurred during a public attack by her husband in front of the local police precinct. Yu Ha-na rushed into the station, bruised and desperate, and begged them for help. Again, they replied, “It is a family matter; there’s nothing we can do.” In the face of repeated violence, she was offered no protection or support.

Over the years, Yu Ha-na left her husband multiple times, but North Korean society does not favor a woman who leaves her husband. In North Korea, a man’s word is considered law, and there is an expectation of absolute obedience from women. Women are expected to earn money while simultaneously fulfilling domestic responsibilities such as childcare, cooking, and cleaning. Due to the persistent mistreatment she faced as a woman in the DPRK, Yu Ha-na attempted suicide multiple times, highlighting the lack of viable options and support available to women in North Korean society.
Finally, Yu Ha-na concludes her interview with an emotional reflection on the trajectory of people in North Korea. She wishes that the North Korean people could come to understand that they are human beings with rights and that constant punishment, confinement, and oppression are not natural parts of life.