Although many defectors feel they had no choice but to leave North Korea, it's important to remember that the DPRK was once the place they called home – in some cases for several decades or more. And while the South Korean government invests substantial resources in helping arriving North Koreans acclimatize to their new lives, surveys regularly show just how marginalized defectors can be in their new home.

So, while many defectors have painful memories about their former lives in the DPRK, there are sometimes elements of life in North Korea which they miss.