The South Korean government offers help with the settlement of North Korean defectors in South Korea; however, 30-something females often find themselves in a blind spot.
The South Korean government says that they have policies tailored to fit the 23,000 North Korean defectors in South Korea. However, it is hard to find any policy tailored towards the needs of 30- to 40-year old female defectors.
According to a survey by Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, the 2009-10 unemployment rate was over 40% for this group. It is easy to track down people with complaints. Kang So Young, a 34-year old female defector living in the Yangcheon district of Seoul said, “Those who are pregnant or raising young children have no choice but to quit their jobs. As our children grow up we work part-time jobs and care for them at the same time.”
North Korean female defectors rely on the government for support because they have no relatives in a country where the traditional support structure is still strong. But if they want to engage in vocational training to improve their employment prospects then they must pay for child care.
According to one government official, “The 30-some year old female defector spends so much of her time caring for her child that she is unable to participate in vocation training. In addition, after five years of settlement in South Korea they are no longer eligible for support from the government, which places them in a blind spot in the employment support system.”
Park Jung Ran of the Seoul National University Peace Research Institute agreed that “it is really hard for female defectors who are single mothers to participate in job training programs. South Korean women have the choice to leave their child to parents or close friends, but female defectors do not have family members here to take care of their children.”
“Employment incentives are completely unreachable for female defectors with a dependent child. We (female defectors with children) are people who cannot work even when we want to. The South Korean government talks about tailored policies for us, but for mothers like us there needs to be another support system,” the head of one defector group asserted.
This is especially urgent since, based on September, 2011 data from the Ministry of Unification last year, fully 30% of arriving North Korean defectors are currently females in this very age bracket.
One oft-heard demand is for the period of support to be extended for female defectors who give birth. The current support period is a fixed at five years, but they say there is the need to guarantee infant care for two to three years after birth, and mothers need to remain eligible for support for five full years thereafter.
Database Center for North Korean Human Rights pointed out, “Lowering the burden of childcare will increase the employment rate for the female defectors. Helping them find a job at companies where they are childcare-friendly or additional government policies to cover these areas will bring their talent into the employment market.”
