 |
|
Students and faculty of an alternative school for defectors from North Korea. Photo courtesy of Setnet School.
|
Measures needed to integrate them into S.K. society
The number of North Korean defectors that have resettled in the South is expected to reach 10,000 by the end of this year. However, only about 45 percent of the defectors are employed, indicating measures to support their resettlement are urgently needed. According to data on North Koreans that have deserted their country, submitted to Rep. Nam Kyung Pil of the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) by the Ministry of Unification and Ministry of Labor, until 1999 the number of defectors resettled in South Korea was just 1,095, but as of July this year, the number had steeply increased to 8,741. If such a trend continues, the number of resettled North Korean defectors will likely surpass 10,000 by the end of this year. According to the Labor Ministry’s data, of the North Korean defectors who arrived in the South from April last year to August this year, 2,712 were actively seeking employment. But of that group, only 11.9 percent, or 324 persons, are currently working. About 55 percent of all of the defectors are unemployed and 35.6 percent are engaged in manual labor. Six out of 10 live in metropolitan areas, with 38 percent in Seoul, 19 percent in Gyeonggi Province, and 5 percent in Incheon.Women account for about 58 percent of all the defectors. Out of those who came to the South between 2001 and June 2006, 33.6 percent are aged between 30 and 39 and 26.9 percent are between 20 and 29, followed by 13.1 percent between 10 and 19, 12.9 percent between 40 and 49, and 9.6 percent over 50 years of age. Those less than 10 stood at 4.1 percent, or 293 persons.
