For most Korean's, homogeneity has always been important.

They tend to be especially exclusive against those that are unfamiliar. North Korean defectors are thus often exposed to discrimination due to their different accent or vocabulary. The same goes for young N. Korean defectors who face difficulties adjusting in South Korean schools and society.

We believed that in order to help these young N. Korean defectors that are to play a key role in the reunification of the Koreas, efforts to directly help them should simultaneously come with efforts to improve South Koreans’ perception towards them. By creating the translator app, we aimed to provide substantial help in their studies, while also drawing people’s attention to the seriousness of linguistic difficulties they face here.

News media followed suit and started to feature the linguistic differences between the two Korea's and the difficulties N.Korean defectors face.

In order for young N. Koreans to settle well in the South Korean society, we believed that directly helping them should come simultaneously with improving people’s perception towards them.

By creating the translator app., which offers a service that is available nowhere else, not even on Google Translate, we aimed to provide substantial help in their studies, while also drawing people’s attention to the seriousness of linguistic difficulties they face here.

We launched the app. at the Android market on March 18 and at Apple Store on April 21.

There are about 2,183 young N. Korean defectors living in S. Korea. During the first 3 weeks of launching, the app. was downloaded about 2,000 times. Even more meaningful was how many S. Koreans downloaded it too. Although the number of the actual app. users was not significant, the very existence of the translator translating Korean into Korean drew people’s attention.

The app. was featured in the media 47 times. One of S. Korea’s most popular news anchor introduced this app. during the headline news as “a translator that translates not only words but also minds”. With cooperation from Korea Hana Foundation (affiliated with the Ministry of Unification) DreamTouchForAll is planning to hold an essay contest for N.Korean students.

It has effectively kick-started active discussion on the language gap between the two Koreas and the issue of young N. Koreans.