New Malden is home to the largest community of South Koreans in Europe, with an estimated 10 to 20,000 Koreans in this pocket of Southwest London.
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But it is not just South Koreans that have immigrated to this area.
North Korean escapees have also settled in the neighbourhood, escaping the dynastic dictatorship since the first asylum claimant in 2004.
Connect: North Korea, a charity based in New Malden, aims to enable and aid North Korean escapees to build new lives in London.
Michael explains how Connect helps escapees:
Michael Glendinning, Connect’s CEO, said the “first major challenge to building a new life is the sheer distance required to get to the UK.
“The journey from North Korea is extremely hazardous”
“3,500 miles largely on foot from the border to Thailand, because it is the one of two countries that won’t repatriate.”
At its highest level, an estimated 1,000 North Koreans lived in London’s Koreatown, also referred to as “Little Pyongyang”.
North Korean exiles Kim Song-ju and Choi Joong Wha at dissident newspaper Euro Journal in New Malden. CREDIT: AP
City News spoke to two of the escapees.
Yejin, who was born in North Korea and fled aged eleven, said on arriving in New Malden:
“In the UK we are more like one Korea, still we do lack communication between South and North, but at least we are together.”
They may speak the same language, but the two nations are divided by wire, minefields and the demilitarised zone on the Korean Peninsula.
Yejin explained that some division remain: “Everywhere, jobs, society. I wouldn’t say a cultural difference, but obviously North and South are different countries now, how people think is different”.
Hyang Li, another escapee, explains that difficulties adjusting to life in London still persist:
“When I got here, I still felt lonely because I had nobody around and even if there are lots of Koreans”.
But she hopes the younger generation will continue to bridge the gaps through communication between the two communities: “For the children, I don’t want them to experience what I experienced when I got here or there. I want them to be treated fairly.
“The community is divided in two I would say, it has been very difficult being two different parties. I wish some time they make peace
together… we wish them to join together and live peacefully.”
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HeadlineNorth Koreans: We can live united with South Koreans in London
Short HeadlineNorth Koreans: We can live united with South Koreans in London
StandfirstCity News spoke with North Korean escapees on settling in New Malden.
New Malden is home to the largest community of South Koreans in Europe, with an estimated 10 to 20,000 Koreans in this pocket of Southwest London.
Listen to this article powered by AI
But it is not just South Koreans that have immigrated to this area.
North Korean escapees have also settled in the neighbourhood, escaping the dynastic dictatorship since the first asylum claimant in 2004.
Connect: North Korea, a charity based in New Malden, aims to enable and aid North Korean escapees to build new lives in London.
Michael explains how Connect helps escapees:
Michael Glendinning, Connect’s CEO, said the “first major challenge to building a new life is the sheer distance required to get to the UK.
“The journey from North Korea is extremely hazardous”
“3,500 miles largely on foot from the border to Thailand, because it is the one of two countries that won’t repatriate.”
At its highest level, an estimated 1,000 North Koreans lived in London’s Koreatown, also referred to as “Little Pyongyang”.
North Korean exiles Kim Song-ju and Choi Joong Wha at dissident newspaper Euro Journal in New Malden. CREDIT: AP
City News spoke to two of the escapees.
Yejin, who was born in North Korea and fled aged eleven, said on arriving in New Malden:
“In the UK we are more like one Korea, still we do lack communication between South and North, but at least we are together.”
They may speak the same language, but the two nations are divided by wire, minefields and the demilitarised zone on the Korean Peninsula.
Yejin explained that some division remain: “Everywhere, jobs, society. I wouldn’t say a cultural difference, but obviously North and South are different countries now, how people think is different”.
Hyang Li, another escapee, explains that difficulties adjusting to life in London still persist:
“When I got here, I still felt lonely because I had nobody around and even if there are lots of Koreans”.
But she hopes the younger generation will continue to bridge the gaps through communication between the two communities: “For the children, I don’t want them to experience what I experienced when I got here or there. I want them to be treated fairly.
“The community is divided in two I would say, it has been very difficult being two different parties. I wish some time they make peace
together… we wish them to join together and live peacefully.”
