Defectors worried about families / Former N. Koreans say Kim's death could put their relatives at risk
About 200 defectors from North Korea living in Japan, who have experienced firsthand the severe conditions of life in the reclusive country, were happy to hear about the death of its leader Kim Jong Il and are hoping for change throughout the nation. But they are concerned about the future of their kin who still live in North Korea.
Most of the defectors are Japanese women who married pro-Pyongyang Korean residents in Japan, as well as their children. These Japanese women moved to North Korea from Japan with their husbands under the repatriation program between 1959 and 1984.
Despite the news, nine people aged in their 20s to 50s, including seven defectors, gathered in Tokyo for their usual Japanese language class at 7 p.m., Monday. The class is run by the Tokyo-based nongovernmental organization Life Funds For North Korean Refugees, which receives Japanese government financial assistance.
“I think most North Korean people are happy in their hearts,” said a 57-year-old female defector.
OMG That classic props to Taiwan TV news ROFL