Saejowi

Saejowi, formally known as the Saejowi Initiative for National Integration, is a South Korean nongovernmental organization headquartered in Seoul. Its work focuses on helping North Korean defectors settle into South Korean society while encouraging dialogue, civic participation, and longer-term discussion about Korean reunification. Rather than functioning as a conventional consumer-facing brand, Saejowi operates as a nonprofit service and advocacy organization whose identity is associated with practical support for refugees, public education, cultural exchange, and research. The organization was established on October 15, 1988, by Hong Sa-deok, a former South Korean senator and former acting representative of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation. Its founding was connected with the publication of Hong's book "My Dream, My Challenge," which argued that South Koreans should reconsider the meaning and practical challenges of reunification. Saejowi was registered by South Korea's Ministry of Unification as a social movement in March 1991 and received formal nongovernmental-organization registration in July 2001. Saejowi's principal service area has been the settlement and welfare of North Korean defectors. It established its first resettlement support center in 2003 and opened a medical support center at the National Medical Center in 2006. Further medical counseling centers followed at Chungnam National University Hospital in 2009, Incheon Red Cross Hospital in 2011, and Seoul Medical Center in 2012. These centers supplement conventional medical care by explaining diagnoses, treatment instructions, referrals, and hospital procedures in ways that are easier for North Korean defectors to understand. The organization has emphasized the linguistic and cultural differences that can make South Korean healthcare difficult to navigate, as well as the physical illness and post-traumatic stress that some refugees experience after leaving North Korea. Saejowi trains North Korean defectors to become counselors who can assist other refugees. Its coaching program, launched in 2007, covers medical referrals, appointments, discharge procedures, communication with medical personnel, and emotional support. By the end of 2013, the organization reported that 118 North Koreans had been certified as counselors and that 59 defectors were employed in work connected with their training. By the end of 2014, Saejowi reported having provided medical counseling to approximately 7,500 North Korean refugees and having helped license 220 counselors. Its wider support programs include employment and language training, domestic and sexual violence counseling, household and childcare assistance, emotional support, living-support referrals, and links to other programs. The Home Care Service has been directed particularly toward single-parent households, older people requiring regular care, and families dealing with illness. A recurring family home-care program restarted in 2024 in cooperation with Seoul authorities and a group of professionals specializing in North Korean counseling, combining medical, emotional, and social support for vulnerable defectors. Saejowi also works in education, research, and cultural production. It has organized reunification education involving South Koreans and North Korean defectors, published refugee letters, conducted research on healthcare and integration, and hosted public forums on lessons from German reunification. Through plays, performances, lectures, and school programs, it presents the experiences of North Korean defectors to wider Korean audiences. Its cultural work has included annual touring productions and online performances during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization therefore combines direct services with public advocacy: its practical objective is improved settlement, while its broader mission is to reduce social distance between the two Korean communities and contribute to informed discussion of reunification.

Saejowi was founded in Seoul on October 15, 1988, by Hong Sa-deok, a former South Korean senator and former acting representative of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation. Its creation was linked to Hong's book "My Dream, My Challenge," which called for renewed consideration of Korean reunification among South Koreans. The organization initially operated as a reunification-oriented social movement. In March 1991, South Korea's Ministry of Unification registered Saejowi as a social movement, and in July 2001 it was formally registered as a nongovernmental organization. A major shift in Saejowi's practical work came with the creation of direct settlement services for North Korean defectors. The first resettlement support center began operating in 2003. In 2006, Saejowi opened a medical support center at the National Medical Center. Its purpose was not to replace professional medical treatment, but to help defectors understand diagnoses, prescriptions, referrals, hospital procedures, and medical terminology that could be unfamiliar because of differences between North and South Korean language and healthcare systems. Saejowi subsequently opened centers at Chungnam National University Hospital in 2009, Incheon Red Cross Hospital in 2011, and Seoul Medical Center in 2012. Counselors, many of them North Korean defectors themselves, helped bridge linguistic and cultural barriers and provided additional personal support. Beginning in 2007, the organization developed coaching sessions for defectors seeking to become professional counselors. Training covered healthcare navigation, communication with medical staff, appointment scheduling, referrals, discharge instructions, and emotional support. Saejowi also created employment and education initiatives, including an English-language program launched in 2010 in cooperation with Daewon Foreign Language High School. In 2012, it began counseling focused on domestic and sexual violence, addressing situations in which abuse might be normalized or go unreported. Saejowi broadened its activities through home-care programs, household assistance, emotional support, and referrals to other services. Its home-care work has served single-parent families, older people, and households affected by illness. The organization describes these activities as a designed support system combining counseling, emotional assistance, living-support connections, and links to relevant programs. In 2024, after an interruption, its annual Family Home Care Service restarted in Seoul, with support from local government and approximately 25 professionals specializing in North Korean counseling. Education and public engagement have remained central to Saejowi's identity. In 2013, its 25th anniversary program included an international policy forum co-hosted with the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The discussion examined West Germany's experience of receiving refugees from East Germany and the role of civil society in reunification. In 2014, Saejowi organized a Reunification Coordinator School that brought South Koreans and North Korean defectors together for regular discussions about integration and future reunification. Since 2004, it has also collected letters written by defectors to relatives or acquaintances in North Korea. Because the letters cannot normally be delivered, they have been published with the writers' permission; an English collection, Under the Apricot Tree, was completed in 2015. The organization has used theater, dance, music, and school performances to communicate refugee experiences. In 2014, it co-sponsored The Story of Those Who Left, a modern dance production based on the experiences of four North Korean women. Saejowi later developed annual theater tours, including If Spring arrives in 2019 and online productions during the COVID-19 period in 2020. In 2023, Azalea Village Story toured 13 South Korean schools and sought to reach more than 9,000 students. In 2024, the organization's 15th production used the plays Small Happiness and Hope to address North Korean human rights and reunification education in schools. Since March 2009, Shin Mi-nyeo has been identified as Saejowi's acting representative. The organization continues to combine direct refugee support with research, public education, cultural production, and advocacy for social integration.

• 2024

  Family Home Care Service restarts

  [1]Saejowien.wikipedia.org

  Saejowi restarted its annual home-care program in Seoul for vulnerable North Korean defectors.

• 2023

  Azalea Village Story school tour

  [1]Saejowien.wikipedia.org

  The production toured 13 South Korean schools and addressed the integration challenges faced by North Korean defectors.

• 2015

  Under the Apricot Tree

  [1]Saejowien.wikipedia.org

  Saejowi completed an English translation of a collection of letters written by North Korean defectors.

• 2013

  25th anniversary forum

  [1]Saejowien.wikipedia.org

  Saejowi and the Hanns Seidel Foundation held an international forum on reunification and civil society.

• 2012

  Domestic-violence counseling begins

  [1]Saejowien.wikipedia.org

  Saejowi launched counseling for North Korean defectors affected by domestic and sexual violence and opened another medical counseling center at Seoul Medical Center.

• 2009

  Medical network expands

  [1]Saejowien.wikipedia.org

  A counseling center opened at Chungnam National University Hospital, and Shin Mi-nyeo began serving as acting representative.

• 2006

  First medical support center

  [1]Saejowien.wikipedia.org

  Saejowi opened a medical support center at the National Medical Center.

• 2003

  First resettlement support center

  [1]Saejowien.wikipedia.org

  The organization began operating its first support center for North Korean defectors.

• 2001

  Formal NGO registration

  [1]Saejowien.wikipedia.org

  Saejowi was formally registered as a nongovernmental organization.

• 1991

  Registered as a social movement

  [1]Saejowien.wikipedia.org

  South Korea's Ministry of Unification registered Saejowi as a social movement.

• 1988

  Saejowi is founded

  [1]Saejowien.wikipedia.org

  Hong Sa-deok established Saejowi as a reunification-oriented social movement in Seoul.

A service-oriented civil-society organization combining practical settlement assistance for North Korean defectors with education, research, cultural exchange, and advocacy related to human rights and Korean reunification.

• Healthcare navigation and refugee support · 2006

  Medical Counseling Centers

  Saejowi's medical counseling centers help North Korean defectors interpret medical advice, understand treatment and hospital procedures, arrange referrals, and communicate with South Korean healthcare personnel. The centers supplement, rather than replace, professional medical services. Counselors with North Korean backgrounds can address language and cultural differences and provide personal support to refugees dealing with illness, trauma, or unfamiliar healthcare systems.

• Professional training · 2007

  Coaching Program

  The Coaching program trains North Korean defectors to become counselors for other refugees. Participants learn how to support patients with referrals, appointments, discharge information, and communication with medical staff. The program also emphasizes visits, listening, emotional support, and practical guidance about life in South Korea.

• Social care

  Home Care Service

  The Home Care Service trains and connects defectors who can provide childcare and household assistance to families unable to afford comparable commercial services. The program has supported single parents who need to work, older people requiring regular care, and households with sick members who need help accessing medical services.

• Civic education · 2014

  Reunification Coordinator School

  This educational program brought South Koreans and North Korean defectors together to discuss integration and the conditions needed for future Korean reunification. Defector participants contributed first-hand perspectives on the practical shortcomings and social barriers that South Korea should address.

• Publication and oral history · 2004

  Letters to North Korea

  Since 2004, Saejowi has collected letters written by North Korean defectors to people in North Korea. Although the letters are generally not deliverable, writers have permitted their publication. The project preserves personal testimony about separation, escape, resettlement, and the emotional consequences of division.

• 2024Small Happiness and Hope

  South Korea

  For its 15th production, Saejowi used two plays to address North Korean human rights and reunification education in cooperation with the Ministry of Unification and regional authorities.

  Outcome. The tour reached 18 schools and concluded on August 29, 2024.

  Source
• 2023Azalea Village Story

  South Korea

  Saejowi presented a school-oriented production about the difficulties North Korean defectors encounter during integration into South Korean society.

  Outcome. The production was performed at 13 schools between July 3 and July 20 and was designed to reach approximately 9,309 students.

  Source
• 2020COVID-era theater tour

  South Korea

  Saejowi moved performances online during pandemic restrictions, presenting Superstar Lee Dong Hyun and Romeo and Juliet: Lee Joong-Ho and Kim Ye-Sul through live streaming.

  Outcome. Online distribution allowed the annual cultural program to continue despite restrictions on in-person performances.

  Source
• 2019If Spring arrives

  South Korea

  Saejowi began an annual theater tour using stories from its Stitches for Reunification program to explore how North Korean defectors adapt to life in South Korea.

  Outcome. The production used joint work by North and South Korean performers to bring integration issues to public audiences.

  Source
• 2014Reunification Coordinator School

  South Korea

  The program paired South Koreans and North Korean defectors for regular discussions about integration and reunification.

  Outcome. Participants developed a direct dialogue about the institutional and social changes required for coexistence and reunification.

  Source
• 2013International Policy Forum

  South Korea · Germany

  Saejowi co-hosted a 25th-anniversary forum with the Hanns Seidel Foundation examining refugee movements in divided Germany, the role of nongovernmental organizations, and possible lessons for Korean reunification.

  Outcome. The forum strengthened Saejowi's public-policy and comparative-reunification work.

  Source

• 2024

  Restart annual family home-care supportStrategy

  Background

  Older and otherwise vulnerable North Korean defectors remained exposed to health problems, financial hardship, and social isolation.

  Action taken

  Saejowi restarted its annual Family Home Care Service in Seoul, combining household visits with medical, emotional, and social support.

  Aftermath

  The program resumed direct community-based assistance for vulnerable households from May through November.

  Source

• 2020

  Move theater programming to online distributionStrategy

  Background

  COVID-19 restrictions disrupted the organization's annual in-person performance tour.

  Action taken

  Saejowi streamed productions on YouTube and postponed part of the tour before presenting it online.

  Aftermath

  Its cultural and educational programming continued during the public-health restrictions.

  Source

• 2012

  Add domestic and sexual violence counselingStrategy

  Background

  Some North Korean defector women and families faced abusive situations that could be normalized or left unreported.

  Action taken

  Saejowi created counseling intended to help defectors recognize abusive conduct, understand self-protection options, and seek assistance.

  Aftermath

  The organization expanded its mandate beyond healthcare and employment into personal safety and family welfare.

  Source

• 2007

  Build a defector-led counseling workforceStrategy

  Background

  Refugees often benefited from counselors who understood North Korean language, experience, and cultural context.

  Action taken

  Saejowi introduced coaching and certification-oriented training for North Korean defectors who wanted to counsel other refugees.

  Aftermath

  The program produced trained counselors and connected some graduates with related employment.

  Source

• 2006

  Expand from reunification advocacy into medical settlement supportStrategy

  Background

  North Korean defectors faced barriers in understanding South Korean medical language, procedures, and treatment systems.

  Action taken

  Saejowi opened its first medical support center at the National Medical Center and later developed a network of hospital-based counseling centers.

  Aftermath

  Medical navigation became one of Saejowi's defining service areas, alongside wider refugee-settlement programs.

  Source

1. 1Saejowien.wikipedia.org