According to Radio Free Asia:
He said he has already received a Social Security Card, and in August 2011 will likely receive his green card allowing him status as a permanent resident of the United States.
But while he is excited about the opportunities he sees in America, Jo said his new life is not without its challenges.
“If there’s one thing that’s inconvenient here, that is the language barrier. I feel that I can hardly get a grip on everything I’m doing, including studying English,” he said.
“Time just flies by, and time is so precious… However, I finally feel at home —- free.”
The North Korean Human Rights Act, which allows the U.S. government to receive North Korean refugees, was signed into U.S. law by former President George W. Bush on Oct. 18, 2004.
It also allows the U.S. government to provide humanitarian assistance to North Koreans inside North Korea and provide grants to non-profit organizations which seek to promote human rights, democracy, rule of law, and the development of a market economy in the country.
The act also allows efforts to increase information flow inside North Korea and to provide humanitarian or legal assistance to North Koreans who have fled their nuclear-armed country.
The U.S. accepted a group of six North Korean refugees for the first time since the act was signed into law on May 5, 2006.
Read all about the defector here.
