[imText1]The ministry of Unification gave out “The Present Situation of the North Korean Defectors Resettlement Law (Implementation)” which contains detailed criterion of the North Korean Defectors Resettlement Policy.
According to this report, the total number of North Koreans who entered South Korea until December 2004 is 6,304. The number has dramatically increased after 2001 where 4,897 defectors resettled in South Korea only in four years.
As for gender, before the mass entrance there were relatively more make defectors but after 2002, the number of female defectors greatly increased and now they are about the same number of both male and female defectors. As for age, the fact that most of the defectors are in their 20s and 30s, it is predicted that their resettlement will contribute to the production activities.
However, as the government started to crack down the brokers for defection, the number of defectors is evidently decreasing. Therefore, the number of North Korea defectors entering South Korea this year is predicted to be much less than the last year.
The report also includes a part on the new law towards the North Korean defectors, which will be implemented by the ministry starting this year.
Regarding the settlement money, the North Korean defectors from 2005 will receive only a part of the total sum, and the rest will be given to them in the forms of resettlement and employment assistances. By providing incentives to obtain technical certificates or long term employment, the law aims to ease North Korean defectors to adjust to the society, but the defectors are quite unsatisfied with such policies.
Furthermore, there are some changes in education assistance as well. Before all defectors under age of 35 received full tuition exemption when they enroll technical colleges or any universities. However, defectors must enroll the college within five years from defection date to receive full tuition exemption or within five years from the high school graduation or after receiving equally recognized education.
In the social security assistance, before the defectors were prioritized in receiving the government subsidies under the “Citizens’ Basic Living Security Law.” They were put before the people under poverty line (level 1), but starting 2005, only the defectors who are incapable of working receive level one treatment.
Furthermore, the defectors who had poor living conditions are entitled to the level 1 health care, with which they can receive treatments and doctor’s appointments (to a certain extent) for free. Only that anyone who owns a car (except disabled and those who use cars for their living) are excluded to such an entitlement for the car is considered as their asset.
Some of the other parties include the change of assistance by the police to “resettlement helpers.” The term “North Korean Defectors” also change to (literally) “New Place People” which is an abbreviation of “the people who restart their lives in the new land.”
Furthermore, in order to assist the defector youths who have difficulties adjusting in their schools, the government is planning to establish a special school, which the middle school is scheduled to open next year.
Meanwhile, heavy criticisms on the changes made the ministry’s resettlement policy from the civil society and the defectors are constantly rising.
The government’s policy alteration is aimed to prevent mass defector entrance to South Korea that fails to assist the defectors effectively on the substantial level.
As the gap between the two positions, that of government and the defectors, increases, the social perception of the North Korean defectors is turning sour. As the defectors are trying to stand against government’s such ineffective resettlement policy by establishing groups such as “Survival Rights Protection Emergency Committee,” the conflict between the defectors and the government is expected to aggravate in the near future.
