Two North Korean defectors will receive doctorates in North Korean studies this month, according to their universities.
Kim Young-hui, who works at the state-run Korea Finance Corporation in Seoul, will receive her degree from Dongguk University for her thesis on dwarfism in North Korea. Kim asserts that dwarfism is not solely due to a lack of resources, but the people’s general sentiment of austerity enforced by the government.
Lee Hye-kyong will receive a doctorate from the University of North Korean Studies for her thesis on the communist country’s medical system. Lee pointed out that North Korea’s hallmark free medical service had been converted to a de facto paid service during a famine in the late 1990s.
Both women defected to South Korea in 2002.
By Lee Sang-ju (
sjlee370@heraldcorp.com)
