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Saudi Gazette
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
North Korea defectors in SK public sector at record high
SINGAPORE — There are now more North Korean defectors working in the South's public sector than ever before, Seoul has said. By the end of 2024, 211 North Korean defectors held jobs in the public sector, 17 more than the previous year, the Ministry of Unification said in a statement on Wednesday. That number is the highest since 2010, when North Korean defectors "began to enter the public service in earnest", the ministry said. Seoul has been widening its support for North Korean defectors who struggle with unemployment and social isolation as they adjust to their new lives in the South. "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 said. Authorities in Seoul have in recent years intensified social integration programmes. It has also offered financial support and tax incentives for companies who hire North Korean an event on Wednesday, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho shared a meal with North Korean defectors in public service are about 30,000 North Korean defectors residing in South Korea. But defections have waned since the pandemic, which saw countries shut their borders. Before 2020, more than 1,000 North Koreans fled to the South every Korean defectors are denounced by the regime, and rights groups say that those caught escaping to the South are punished with imprisonment and July, former North Korean diplomat Tae Yong-ho was named the new leader of South Korea's presidential advisory council on unification - the first defector to be given such a high rank in South Korea's 2020, Tae became the first defector to be elected to South Korea's National had called him "human scum" and accused him of crimes including defectors offer a rare look into the highly secretive regime under leader Kim Jong Un. They have told stories of human rights abuses under the regime, including widespread starvation, forced labor and state-enforced many of them face serious challenges as they settle into their new lives: difficulties finding and holding down jobs, social stigma and mental health issues stemming from traumatic experiences in the North. — BBC
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Korea defectors in SK public sector at record high
There are now more North Korean defectors working in the South's public sector than ever before, Seoul has said. By the end of 2024, 211 North Korean defectors held jobs in the public sector, 17 more than the previous year, the Ministry of Unification said in a statement on Wednesday. That number is the highest since 2010, when North Korean defectors "began to enter the public service in earnest", the ministry said. Seoul has been widening its support for North Korean defectors who struggle with unemployment and social isolation as they adjust to their new lives in the South. "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 said. Authorities in Seoul have in recent years intensified social integration programmes. It has also offered financial support and tax incentives for companies who hire North Korean defectors. At an event on Wednesday, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho shared a meal with North Korean defectors in public service roles. There are about 30,000 North Korean defectors residing in South Korea. But defections have waned since the pandemic, which saw countries shut their borders. Before 2020, more than 1,000 North Koreans fled to the South every year. North Korean defectors are denounced by the regime, and rights groups say that those caught escaping to the South are punished with imprisonment and torture. Last July, former North Korean diplomat Tae Yong-ho was named the new leader of South Korea's presidential advisory council on unification - the first defector to be given such a high rank in South Korea's government. In 2020, Tae became the first defector to be elected to South Korea's National Assembly. Pyongyang had called him "human scum" and accused him of crimes including embezzlement. The defectors offer a rare look into the highly secretive regime under leader Kim Jong Un. They have told stories of human rights abuses under the regime, including widespread starvation, forced labour and state-enforced disappearances. But many of them face serious challenges as they settle into their new lives: difficulties finding and holding down jobs, social stigma and mental health issues stemming from traumatic experiences in the North.
Korea Herald
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
S. Korean unification minister discusses bilateral ties with senior Japanese officials
South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho met with senior Japanese officials in Tokyo on Thursday and stressed the importance of bolstering bilateral cooperation, according to a foreign media report. Kim is in Japan for a three-day visit through Friday, which aims at enhancing two-way cooperation on inter-Korean unification issues and the North Korea policy under Japan's Shigeru Ishiba administration, his office said. During his meeting with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, Kim exchanged views on the security situation in North Korea and reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between Seoul and Tokyo, as well as trilateral coordination involving the United States, according to Japan's Kyodo News. Kim also reiterated the South Korean government's support for the immediate resolution of the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea, it added. Kim held separate talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, during which he called for maintaining close bilateral ties and building a future-oriented cooperative relationship to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and around the world. Iwaya emphasized that relations between the two neighboring countries are crucial in today's strategic environment, according to the report. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
26-02-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
N. Korea likely to ramp up military activities this year: unification ministry
South Korea's unification ministry said Wednesday that North Korea is likely to ramp up its military activities this year, citing the country's designation of 2025 as "a year of training." Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho reported the assessment to a meeting of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee earlier in the day. Marking the 77th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the defense ministry on Feb. 8 and designated this year as "a year of training," calling for war preparations as required by modern warfare. "As Kim Jong-un designated this year as a year of training, there's a possibility that the North Korean military will ramp up military activities in the future," the ministry said in a copy of the parliamentary report. Thanks to the economic benefits from North Korea's alignment with Russia, the country's policy implementation capacity has somewhat improved, allowing it to support leader Kim's pet projects, such as the Regional Development 20X10 Policy or the drive to build housing units in Pyongyang, according to the ministry. The general North Korean people are, however, facing economic difficulties, such as limited market activities, limited grain supplies and rising living costs, as a result of the regime's heightened economic controls, the ministry added. (Yonhap)
