Surviving the ‘time machine’: Helping North Korean defectors to the South

SEOUL — There’s a saying in South Korea that “you only see what you know,” which has particular resonance for defectors from North Korea who have moved from one of the most isolated countries on earth to one of the most connected and feel like they “know” very little.

In a country where everything is online and usually accessed via a smartphone — both of which are inaccessible in much of the North — these newcomers can feel like they’ve traveled forward in time. Although they speak the same language and look the same as those living in the South, life here can feel so utterly foreign.