Jang Hye-won,Ph.D. Candidate University of North Korean Studies North Korean defectors develop an affection for South Korea, perhaps even more special than that of people born here, because of the many good things available which we could not access in North Korea. The difference in access is more than simply generational, like the “latte” generation gap in our current society in South Korea.*I have an acquaintance who left North Korea as a young person in their early 20s who will soon be 50 years old. This person has a special love for South Korea. Once, when this person was talking about nail clippers, I found myself deeply identifying with them. They are still using a nail clipper set they received as a gift roughly 20 years ago, in their early days in South Korea. This person says the set is still as good as new. I also received a nail clipper set from a church in my neighborhood, with their logo engraved on it. It’s still working well, and I think it could have 10 more years of good use left in it. South Korean nail clippers are known as world class products, and they live up to their reputation. When I was young, my mother cut my nails with scissors. Since children’s nails are thin and soft, the scissors cut them well, but adults’ nails grow thicker and more difficult to cut. In North Korea, there is a custom of never cutting nails after dark. People say that if you cut your nails at night, you could be robbed or something bad could happen. So, I always cut my nails during the daytime. Thinking about it now, I wonder if this custom was created because it’s hard to find and clean up nail clippings after dark or because poor lighting could lead to cutting one’s nails too closely and injuring one’s fingers. Regardless, whether from hearing this advice from a young age or just from habit, I still don’t cut my nails late at night.From the mid-1990s, people in North Korea began to use nail clippers more than scissors, but the blades tended to become dull quickly. Particularly the handle on the nail clippers, intended to push back cuticles, functioned poorly. Then, in the mid to late 2000s, I was impressed by my friend’s nail clipper set. It was both elegant and cut nails well. As I admired it, my friend said, “This came from across the water.” “Ah, of course!” I also coveted my friend’s Japanese ear-picks with feathered tips, which came with her nail clipper set. Now I realize it was probably unhygienic for multiple people to use them in turn, but at that time, we all took turns trying out anything new. Both in the home or out-of-doors, there is still a lot of manual labor in North Korea. So, most people consider it a luxury to take good care of their hands. Particularly hard-working farmers and others like them may not even have to clip their nails because they wear down naturally in the course of their work. Each year, North Korea mobilizes a period of nationwide physical labor called “rural support.” No one is exempt from participation. Rural support usually lasts from late April or early May through the middle or end of June. During this 1-2 month timeframe, all students (beginning in middle school grade 2 through college), office workers, and laborers from across the country are mobilized to do farm work. Due to the lack of fuel and electricity, most farm work relies on human manpower. When we return from rural support, our faces, arms, and legs are sun-weathered and scarred. Even if I wore something over my fingers, my fingernails would wear down within a month, and in severe cases, my fingertips would become red and bruised. I really envied some of my fellow students who managed to replace working during the rural support period by providing “material support” instead. They spent their time comfortably at home. It seems childish when I think back on it now, but I was so jealous that I pestered my parents. “If I get out of rural support and play at home for a month, my legs won’t get scarred by leeches and my fingernails won’t wear down, so I want Mom and Dad to do something,” I complained to them. From my child’s perspective, I believed my family would have the “ability” to get me excused. My parents told me clearly, “One should not expect that kind of preferential treatment.” I still remember how sad that made me feel. Much later, I brought it up to my mother again, “Why did you never get me excused from rural support when we were in North Korea? Am I really your biological daughter?”I said this only half-jokingly, and she responded with surprise, “Of course I paid attention to your pleas and tried to do business with your teacher, but they said it wasn’t possible because you were the group secretary.” North Korean schools have a president, group secretary, or group chair in each class who serves under the head of the youth league. “So, I just sent you,” Mom said. “You did what you had to do,” she said, looking at me proudly without the slightest hint of regret. “I see. You are my mom, after all. I suppose I misunderstood. I am your biological daughter.”As I think back on that time, even if my parents had the ability to excuse me from the work mobilization, it wasn’t their problem. The problem lies with the nation that must mobilize young, school-aged students to do agricultural work. In any case, I would like to send a truckload full of nail clipper sets to North Korea. *There is a large cultural gap between generations in South Korea, due to the rapid increase of access to different kinds of foods and experiences than prior generations. The author is saying the generational difference is not enough to explain the access gap between south and north. (Photo 2: North Korean students planting rice (c) Free North Korea Newspaper)