[Anchor]

July 14 marked the Day for North Korean Defectors. To support their settlement, the Korea Hana Foundation, an organization under the Ministry of Unification, has released a web drama depicting the entrepreneurial challenges faced by North Korean defector university students.

Here is Kim Ayeong with Korean Peninsula Focus.

[Reporter]

"Don't look back, just listen. Are you from the North?"

Two male students in their 20s, who tried to hide their North Korean origins for fear of potential disadvantages, discover familiar traces in each other and secretly make contact.

"You almost said 'jangmadang' (market) yesterday."

These are scenes from "Start Hana," a 12-episode web drama produced by the Korea Hana Foundation under the Ministry of Unification.

The drama follows the journey of young people from both North and South Korea as they navigate the ups and downs of a university startup club. The foundation explained that the story reflects survey results showing that entrepreneurship and self-employment consistently rank as the top career interests among North Korean defectors.

"You have to dream of the future. If you can't realize your dreams, what is the difference between living there and living here?"

Cha Wi-seong, a professional actor from Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, who arrived in South Korea in 2010, plays the role of the startup club president.

[Interview: Cha Wi-seong / Role of Oh Chang-yeop]
"It felt like my own story. I actually went through that. From the moment I started university, I constantly worried about whether or not to reveal that I was from the North."

Actor Shin Yun-je, who is from South Korea and plays a freshman, expressed his empathy, noting that the struggles of the younger generation facing an uncertain future are the same regardless of their background.

[Interview: Shin Yun-je / Role of Na Young-gwang]
"I think young people living in this era will be able to relate to it, and it contains a message of support."

[Interview: Lee Ju-tae / Acting Chairman of the Korea Hana Foundation]
"The dreams are the same. Because their circumstances are different, we need to help, understand, and empathize with them more."

The web drama, in which North Korean defector youth participated by providing advice on dialects, will be released one episode per week starting July 31.

Reported by Kim Se-gyeong | Video by Chae Cheol-ho