Tae Yong-ho, a defector from North Korea who served as Pyongyang’s No. This short-term appointment is a major change in leadership on the council. This historic appointment represents a groundbreaking moment. Her appointment is the first time a North Korean defector has assumed such a powerful position in the South Korean government, representing a broader change in how South Korean society assimilates these defectors.
With nearly 30,000 North Korean defectors now living in South Korea, Tae’s appointment is timely indeed. In 2020, he drew international attention when he was elected as the first defector ever to South Korea’s National Assembly. His new role is expected to enhance the representation of North Korean defectors in policymaking processes, which have traditionally excluded their voices.
The South Korean Ministry of Unification understands the litany of hardships that defectors must navigate. They have a hard time getting steady jobs and constantly face societal discrimination. Mental health challenges born of traumatic experiences when living in North Korea make their adjustment doubly difficult.
The South Korean Ministry of Unification is moving to address these issues. Additionally, they offer financial assistance and tax credits to businesses that employ North Korean defectors. In recent years, Seoul has increased its support for these individuals. Now, the city is using these new social integration programs to address both unemployment and social isolation.
As of the end of 2024, 211 North Korean defectors are scheduled to serve in the public sector. If so, this would be the highest figure since 2010, when defectors started flocking to public service in earnest. This rise is indicative of wider attempts by the South Korean government to integrate defectors into the workforce and other domains of society.
“There is a growing need to expand opportunities for North Korean defectors to enter public service so that they can directly participate in and contribute to the government’s policymaking,” – the ministry.
Prior to 2020, more than 1,000 North Koreans defected annually to South Korea. As a result, they were sometimes met with severe backlash from the North Korean government for their courageous choice. Those who are caught trying to flee are arrested, tortured and their families punished, according to numerous reports by international human rights organizations. As North Korea ramped up its vitriolic denunciations of defectors, it is more essential than ever for them to succeed in integrating into South Korean society.
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