Lim Ji-hyun rose to prominence in South Korea as a result of her appearances on a cable network talk show known as Moranbong Club and a reality programme called South Korean Men and North Korean Women
matching male locals and female defectors from North Korea
See, that’s exactly why I said it sounded peculiar. Or rather - creepy. Sounds like the defectors are treated not as persons, as individuals, but as trophies. As something to be gamed for. Perhaps I am overreacting, but bearing in mind the attitudes of western Germans towards DDR women, and the notorious attitudes of westerners towards women in post-soviet republics, I am not so sure.
As an aside, if you’ll excuse reddit-esque logic, what about the male defectors? Are they also participating in a show, that aims to set them up with SK women? Or, more likely, they are tossed aside because they can’t be used with the same success as objects?
No you are not overreacting. Reality shows involving defectors is a whole industry in RoK. It is pretty sickening how people who according to the commonly parroted narrative are looking for better lives are just turned into sort of circus animals.
I’m having the same reaction around gender. To me, it also sounds like this type of young man in the West who wants to marry an Asian woman because they are supposedly submissive and “traditional”, unlike the women around him who won’t put up with his bullshit. It’s just super gross and dehumanizing.
See, that’s exactly why I said it sounded peculiar. Or rather - creepy. Sounds like the defectors are treated not as persons, as individuals, but as trophies. As something to be gamed for. Perhaps I am overreacting, but bearing in mind the attitudes of western Germans towards DDR women, and the notorious attitudes of westerners towards women in post-soviet republics, I am not so sure.
As an aside, if you’ll excuse reddit-esque logic, what about the male defectors? Are they also participating in a show, that aims to set them up with SK women? Or, more likely, they are tossed aside because they can’t be used with the same success as objects?
No you are not overreacting. Reality shows involving defectors is a whole industry in RoK. It is pretty sickening how people who according to the commonly parroted narrative are looking for better lives are just turned into sort of circus animals.
I’m having the same reaction around gender. To me, it also sounds like this type of young man in the West who wants to marry an Asian woman because they are supposedly submissive and “traditional”, unlike the women around him who won’t put up with his bullshit. It’s just super gross and dehumanizing.
Also smell like possible human trafficking.
Exactly!