Britain - London's Koreatown
Tensions from Korea spread to London’s Koreatown
AS DINERS devour their scorching portions of bibimbap, with paintings of South Korea on the walls, visitors might think they are in Seoul. But this is New Malden in south-west London. More than 10,000 South Koreans have lived in “Koreatown” since a first wave came in the 1970s. Now they jostle with migrants from farther afield. Over the din, sounds of Mandarin emerge from the kitchen. One waitress is a Chinese-Korean from Liaoning, a province next to North Korea. The chef is from South Hamgyeong, in the north-east of North Korea. She speaks Mandarin at work, as “it’s the only way to communicate with the Chinese-Koreans.”
The big divide in Koreatown used to be between traditional old-timers and the more liberal young. One South Korean calls New Malden “more conservative than Seoul”. “Women stay at home, their kids have to do what they are told to do, they have to go to university,” he says. Koreatown, which comprises three or four streets filled with restaurants, food markets and travel agents, has stuck with old values that are eroding in Seoul.
AS DINERS devour their scorching portions of bibimbap, with paintings of South Korea on the walls, visitors might think they are in Seoul. But this is New Malden in south-west London. More than 10,000 South Koreans have lived in “Koreatown” since a first wave came in the 1970s. Now they jostle with migrants from farther afield. Over the din, sounds of Mandarin emerge from the kitchen. One waitress is a Chinese-Korean from Liaoning, a province next to North Korea. The chef is from South Hamgyeong, in the north-east of North Korea. She speaks Mandarin at work, as “it’s the only way to communicate with the Chinese-Koreans.”
The big divide in Koreatown used to be between traditional old-timers and the more liberal young. One South Korean calls New Malden “more conservative than Seoul”. “Women stay at home, their kids have to do what they are told to do, they have to go to university,” he says. Koreatown, which comprises three or four streets filled with restaurants, food markets and travel agents, has stuck with old values that are eroding in Seoul.
Now new divisions are opening among South, North and Chinese-Koreans. Some 600-800 North Koreans live in Britain, reportedly the biggest diaspora outside Asia. Many came via China. Others arrived after living in South Korea. Although Seoul seems glamorous at first, northerners can find it hard to fit in. Because they are Korean, they are expected to act Korean. But the culture of communist North Korea is very different from freewheeling South Korea. To escape stigmatisation, some move on again.
Tensions can flare in Koreatown. “South and North Koreans try to get along, but there are good and bad people everywhere,” says one North Korean. Another says that, when having her first meal at a Korean restaurant in Britain, the South Korean waitress recognised her accent and suggested she have leftovers, which she would be more used to eating at home. And then there are Chinese-Koreans, known as Joseonjok. One issue between North Koreans and Joseonjok is the asylum system. Many Joseonjok falsely claim to be North Korean to improve their chances of winning asylum. North Koreans resent this as it risks genuine refugees being rejected. In 2013 some 30 applications by people claiming to be from North Korea were turned down.
Imported political disputes are another source of friction. Many South Koreans approve of President Moon Jae-in’s engagement with the North, but some North Korean exiles see it as siding with the enemy. “Moon Jae-in told the world he was a human-rights lawyer when he visited the White House,” says one North Korean. “But now he has stopped the work of human-rights activists,” banning the sending of leaflets to the North touting the benefits of freedom. As for Donald Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un, “all hope was lost,” she adds. The future of north-east Asia is being watched closely in south-west London.
Now new divisions are opening among South, North and Chinese-Koreans. Some 600-800 North Koreans live in Britain, reportedly the biggest diaspora outside Asia. Many came via China. Others arrived after living in South Korea. Although Seoul seems glamorous at first, northerners can find it hard to fit in. Because they are Korean, they are expected to act Korean. But the culture of communist North Korea is very different from freewheeling South Korea. To escape stigmatisation, some move on again.
Tensions can flare in Koreatown. “South and North Koreans try to get along, but there are good and bad people everywhere,” says one North Korean. Another says that, when having her first meal at a Korean restaurant in Britain, the South Korean waitress recognised her accent and suggested she have leftovers, which she would be more used to eating at home. And then there are Chinese-Koreans, known as Joseonjok. One issue between North Koreans and Joseonjok is the asylum system. Many Joseonjok falsely claim to be North Korean to improve their chances of winning asylum. North Koreans resent this as it risks genuine refugees being rejected. In 2013 some 30 applications by people claiming to be from North Korea were turned down.
Imported political disputes are another source of friction. Many South Koreans approve of President Moon Jae-in’s engagement with the North, but some North Korean exiles see it as siding with the enemy. “Moon Jae-in told the world he was a human-rights lawyer when he visited the White House,” says one North Korean. “But now he has stopped the work of human-rights activists,” banning the sending of leaflets to the North touting the benefits of freedom. As for Donald Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un, “all hope was lost,” she adds. The future of north-east Asia is being watched closely in south-west London.