Chun Jeong-sun , a North Korean who escaped her country and made her way to South Korea, made headlines this time as the first-ever North Korean defector to become a school teacher.

Ever since coming to South Korea, Ms. Chun had tried out for several jobs such as insurance saleswoman and chef, but had found nothing suitable. Her qualifications as a Math teacher with 11 years of experience in North Korean schools had meant nothing in South Korea.

But where there is a will, there is a way. Ms. Chun started teaching Mathematics again this spring semester, at Sungji Middle and High School, a school embracing alternative education. Kim Han Tae, Sungji's schoolmaster, had offered her the job, believing that being taught by a North Korean would be in itself a significant lesson on reunification for the students. For Ms.Chun, lack of official credentials means a meager salary, since she is not eligible for financial support from the city's education department. Nevertheless, she is on cloud nine simply because she is proudly earning money to support herself. As soon as the opportunity presents itself, she plans to earn a teacher's degree at the National Open University. She yearns for the day when she can teach to her heart's content in a reunified Korea.

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