The United States has college preparatory schools of almost every imaginable type, but perhaps only one for North Korean refugees.
Andrew Hong started Empower House with the goal of helping North Korean refugees obtain a college education. The Chicago-based Empower House, which is not a formal school, provides refugees with a place to live as well as tutoring and college prep assistance, so they can focus on their studies without worrying about supporting themselves. They are assisted by volunteers from the South Korean community in Chicago and students from the University of Chicago.
Empower House grew out of Hong’s original nonprofit, Emancipate North Koreans (ENoK), which got off the ground five years ago. At first, the group worked with North Koreans individually, but after time, the need for more programmatic help became evident, Hong says.
The United States is home to a tiny population of approximately 180 North Korean refugees, according to a 2015 government report. They began arriving in the United States two years after the passage of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 and are now dispersed throughout the country.
One of the many reasons why there are so few North Koreans in the United States is the long and arduous journey from the hermit country to the United States. Those who leave North Korea typically first have to pass through China on their way south toward more welcoming countries where they can apply for refugee status. In China, North Korean defectors run the risk of being arrested and repatriated by Chinese authorities, who are more sympathetic to Kim Jong-un’s regime.
The majority of North Koreans choose to go to South Korea, where they are granted automatic citizenship and benefits to assist with the resettlement process.
For those who choose to travel to the United States, the resettlement process has its own financial and cultural challenges.
