Seoul City Offers Free Korean Language and Emotional Support Programs for Children of North Korean Defectors... 150 Applicants Registered

Providing Home Visit Education Program for Households with Children Aged 3 to Elementary School Students Among North Korean Defectors Living in Seoul
Securing 50 Minutes of Weekly Operation Time... Customized Classes Including Basic Learning, Emotional Mentoring, and Parent Counseling

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 7th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will support the healthy settlement of North Korean defector children by providing customized learning programs that consider the characteristics of not only North Korean defector children aged 3 to elementary school students but also children of defectors born in third countries and South Korea.

First, for children born in third countries such as China who lack Korean language skills and Hangul, Korean language classes will be provided. For other North Korean defector children and children born in South Korea, Korean language and reading coaching classes aimed at improving basic learning abilities and literacy will be offered. Considering the psychological anxiety of children who are reluctant to reveal their background as coming from North Korean defector families and to improve the educational environment within defector families, emotional programs and parent counseling sessions have also been organized. Emotional mentoring will be provided to children, and learning counseling and educational information will be offered to parents to simultaneously enhance the settlement satisfaction of both North Korean defector parents and their children.

Certified professional teachers in fields such as psychology, counseling, play therapy, and art therapy will be selected, trained, and dispatched as dedicated teachers for North Korean defector families. The total program duration is 50 minutes per session and will be operated once a week.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government selected Daekyo, a specialized visiting learning education institution, as the executor of the ‘Learning Support for Children of North Korean Defector Families’ project through a proposal evaluation. Daekyo plans to diagnose the academic level of the education recipients through its own basic academic ability diagnostic evaluation and provide the necessary learning materials and related textbooks. North Korean defector families wishing to participate can apply through Daekyo Dream Mentor Counseling Center.

Gibongho, Head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Inter-Korean Cooperation Division, said, “We have prepared a customized education program that can improve the basic learning abilities of North Korean defector children and resolve psychological difficulties related to child education. Through this, our city aims to help children from North Korean defector families adapt well to schools in South Korea and realize equal educational opportunities.”

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