According to recent survey results, two out of three North Korean defectors living in South Korea are satisfied with their lives.
The Korea Hana Foundation, an organization affiliated with the Ministry of Unification that provides assistance to North Korean refugees, reported the results of a survey of 11,914 North Korean defectors in South Korea on May 1, querying them on their level of life satisfaction. The survey results showed that 67% (8501 people) of the respondents were ‘satisfied’ with their lives in South Korea.
Specifically, 23.7% (2882 people) of the respondents answered that they are ‘very satisfied,’ while 43.3% (5169 people) answered ‘satisfied,’ 29.2% (3418 people) answered ‘neutral,’ 2.7% (326 people) answered ‘dissatisfied,’ and 0.8% (88 respondents) answered ‘very dissatisfied.’
Many of the respondents specified ‘freedom’ and ‘leisure’ as the reason for their satisfaction. Among these respondents, 47.3% (3735 people) answered that they are satisfied because they can ‘do whatever they like,’ and 44.7% (3658 people) answered that they are ‘economically better-off.’
In addition, 39.4% (3079 people) of the respondents selected the reason for their life satisfaction as ‘because I can earn in accordance with my effort,’ and 28.6% (2310 people) selected the answer, ‘because I am not under severe monitoring and control.’
58% (414 people) of the respondents who answered that they are ‘dissatisfied’ with their lives in South Korea gave the reason for their dissatisfaction as because they are ‘going through economic hardships.’ Others selected their reasons as ‘because of the various prejudices and discrimination against defectors,’ (31.7%, 107 people), ‘because of the extreme gap between my qualifications and the job I want,’ (25.3%, 107 people), and ‘because I find it hard to adjust to South Korean society and culture,’ (24%, 98 people).
The survey questioned 11,914 North Korean defectors in South Korea over the age of 15 during the period from June to August last year. The respondents filled out questionnaires composed by professional counselors and had follow-up interviews later.
