North Korean Defectors: Why 80% of South Koreans Have Never Met Them?

Eight out of ten Koreans have never met a North Korean defector.

The MH Data released its weekly report, Numbers No. 218, on December 5, featuring a survey on “Korean Perception of North Korean Defectors.” Here are the survey results.

1. Eight out of ten Koreans have never met a North Korean defector

A recent survey by the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council delved into how Koreans perceive North Korean defectors, revealing that eight out of ten Koreans have never met a North Korean defector.

When questioned about their interest in North Korean defectors, 54% of Koreans expressed interest. In comparison, 45% stated they were not interested, illustrating that approximately half of the population is interested in North Korean defectors.

As of the end of June this year, South Korea has seen the arrival of 34,000 North Korean defectors, which accounts for only 0.07% of the total population of our country (based on the Ministry of Public Administration and Security’s resident registration population statistics as of June 2023).

When inquired about any real-life contact or interaction with North Korean defectors, a staggering eight out of ten Koreans reported having no such experience, with only 21% indicating that they had interacted with defectors.

2. More than one in three Koreans struggle to accept North Korean defectors

How do Koreans think they are accepting North Korean defectors? 57% said they were “accepting,” while 36% said they were “not accepting,” indicating that more than one in three Koreans perceive that they are not accepting of North Korean defectors.

3. The biggest challenge for North Korean defectors is ‘economic problems’

When asked about the most significant challenge faced by North Korean defectors, the majority (49%) identified “economic problems” as their foremost concern, followed by “social and cultural problems” at 34% and “educational problems” at 4%.

Regarding effective measures for the successful integration of North Korean defectors, a greater number of respondents (42%) emphasized the importance of “expanding job support for economic independence” as a top priority, surpassing “expanding mentoring for social adaptation” (20%) and “expanding welfare support such as medical care and basic life security” (13%). This emphasis on economic support aligns with the perception that the primary challenge for North Korean defectors revolves around economic issues.