North Korean Defectors' Average Monthly Income Surpasses 2 Million Won for the First Time... 75% Satisfaction with Life in South Korea

Average Monthly Income Last Year 2,047,000 KRW
Economic Activity Participation Rate 62% · Employment Rate 58%
Life Satisfaction in South Korea Increased by 1.7%p from Previous Year

View of nearby apartment complexes from Lotte World Tower in Jamsil, Songpa-gu, Seoul.

Last year, the average monthly income of North Korean defectors (NKDs) who are wage workers exceeded 2 million won. Over the past nine years, the main economic activity status of NKDs has shown steady improvement.

According to the "2020 North Korean Defectors Settlement Support Implementation Plan," jointly prepared by government ministries and released by the Ministry of Unification on the 18th, the average monthly income of NKDs increased by 148,000 won from 1,899,000 won to 2,047,000 won last year.

Economic Activity Indicators of North Korean Defectors

However, the economic activity participation rate of NKDs was 62.1%, and the employment rate was 58.2%, slightly down compared to the previous year (64.8% and 60.4%, respectively).

Regarding job search methods, similar to 2018, the majority reported finding jobs on their own through mass media such as newspapers and magazines.

The percentage of respondents who experienced discrimination or being ignored was 17.2%, somewhat decreased from 20.2% last year.

Their satisfaction with life in South Korea was 74.2%, up 1.7 percentage points (P) from the previous year.

Defector Entry Status

As of December last year, the total number of NKDs who entered the country was 33,523, a 7.9% decrease compared to the previous year (1,137 people).

Regarding the age groups of NKDs (at the time of entry), those in their 20s and 30s accounted for 57.3% of the total. By occupation, 84.9% were vulnerable in terms of job skills, such as unemployed or dependents and laborers, and by education level, 79.6% had a high school education or less, indicating mostly low educational attainment.

By gender, about 72% of all entrants were women. The number of female entrants began to surpass male entrants starting in 2002.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Unification established and announced the 2020 North Korean Defectors Settlement Support Implementation Plan on the same day. Through consultations among 20 government ministries and 3 local governments, a total of 53 detailed tasks were prepared across 7 sectors.

The Ministry of Unification stated that the 2020 support policy for NKDs will focus on ▲ enhancing individual capabilities and job connections for NKDs ▲ helping North Korean youth adapt to school and improve learning abilities ▲ expanding legal education and counseling related to NKDs' daily lives ▲ reorganizing the policy cooperation system for NKDs ▲ expanding counseling and livelihood support for vulnerable NKD groups.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.