Q1. Please give a brief self-introduction.
Hello. I am Choi Jeong-eun, a first-half 2025 volunteer at Migration to Asia Peace (MAP). I am on the YES Team, handling work related to empowerment and scholarship support for refugee youth and young adults.
Q2. Please share your motivation for applying to MAP.
I lived in Australia from my high school years and often experienced racial discrimination. Later I took a leave of absence and returned to Korea, where I felt that discrimination against migrants still exists as well. These personal experiences led me to take part in various volunteer activities for North Korean defectors. During that time my wish grew to be more active and to be with neighbors who are marginalized, and as a result I applied to MAP.
Q3. What changes do you feel in yourself before and after starting the activities?
What I remember most is helping a student with a migrant background register at a language institute, going through the whole process together over Zoom. During registration a passport number had to be entered, but the student did not have a passport, which created a difficulty, and I had to solve the problem by calling the institute staff several times. Fortunately the registration was completed without trouble, and afterward I received a heartfelt thank-you message from the student. In fact, there were times during my activities when I wondered, “Am I really being helpful?” This experience gave me confidence and the drive to work even harder.
Q4. What activity left the strongest impression on you?
Occasionally I had the chance to take part in the activities of other teams besides the regular activities of the YES Team, and the one I remember most is preparing and running the “Migration to Asia Peace” booth at the Save the Children kids’ marathon event. At the event we introduced greetings and traditional games from Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan to the children and spent time experiencing them together. It was a very meaningful time because I could communicate with the children at their eye level and share diverse cultures naturally.
Q5. What do you think our society needs most in order to live together with refugees?
I think what our society needs most in order to live together with refugees is “empathy.” Empathy does not stop at simply saying “I understand”; it is a mindset and an attitude of trying to move one step closer from the other person’s position. The reason many people see refugees only as “others” is that they have not had the chance to feel the background and the pain of their lives. But if we take a little more interest, listen to their stories, face them, and accept them as “neighbors” living in the same space, I believe prejudice and distance can narrow naturally. Empathy is a change that comes before policy and the starting point of awareness. If meetings and experiences based on empathy accumulate, the social discussion surrounding refugees can also move in a warmer and more mature direction.
Q6. Finally, is there an activity you would recommend to people interested in refugee issues?
First, I recommend subscribing to “Displaced,” the newsletter published by MAP’s AP Team. I have also been subscribing steadily while working as a volunteer. It summarizes refugee-related issues in an easy way, so even beginners can read it without difficulty. Also, MAP is currently recruiting second-half volunteers! I can say with certainty that being active with MAP is a choice you will never regret. We look forward to your interest and applications!