Hana Foundation Grows with 'Trauma Treatment Costs' for North Korean Defectors

North Korean Defectors Suffering Human Trafficking During Escape
Foundation 'Expanding Size' Using Trauma Treatment Budget
70% Spent on New Office, Only 20% on Projects
"Contrary to Increase Purpose... Budget to Be Reexamined"

The Ministry of Unification and the North Korean Defectors Support Foundation (NamBuk Hana Foundation, hereinafter referred to as the Foundation) have been found to have used the budget approved by the National Assembly for expert personnel expenses for the 'trauma treatment' of North Korean defectors for the construction costs of a new center. While the treatment program itself was poorly organized and the location of the center was selected without a demand survey of the treatment recipients, the National Assembly plans to reconsider the budget from scratch.

According to the National Assembly on the 15th, during the review process of the 2023 budget last year, the Budget and Accounts Committee requested an increase of 400 million KRW from the Ministry of Economy and Finance for a new project by the Ministry of Unification titled 'Professional treatment for severe trauma experienced by North Korean defectors,' and after approval, it was finally allocated. The purpose was to "professionally treat trauma caused by human trafficking and life-threatening experiences during the defection process, and the resulting mental difficulties."

The North Korean flag is flying over the barbed wire on the wall of the North Korean embassy. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

According to government budget-related documents obtained by this publication, the budget increase request was made by People Power Party lawmakers Lee Cheol-gyu, Kim Mi-ae, Lee Yong-ho, Jang Dong-hyuk, and Jeong Hee-yong. The ruling party's Budget and Accounts Committee members ordered, "Operate the healing centers by placing trauma healing experts in three metropolitan area centers with many recipients among the existing 25 Hana Centers." This meant adding experts to existing centers rather than opening new centers. In particular, a detailed cost plan was presented, including personnel expenses of 280 million KRW for placing four experts in each of the three metropolitan centers.

However, according to the budget execution details recently reported by the Foundation to the National Assembly, 270 million KRW (67.5%) was spent on office operating expenses for the 'Maeumsori Gonggam Center,' which is scheduled to open next month. This includes design and construction costs of 135.5 million KRW, lease deposit of 50 million KRW, and office equipment and furniture purchase costs of 38 million KRW. Contrary to the guidelines approved by the National Assembly, a significant portion of the budget was allocated to creating new facilities. Moreover, about 50 million KRW of the remaining 130 million KRW was allocated to 'counselor capacity development,' unrelated to the original purpose of the budget. This will be used for costs such as counselor workshops.

The budget actually allocated for trauma treatment projects was only 84 million KRW (21.0%). In particular, the Foundation estimated the initial psychological test demand at '40 people,' but during the Budget and Accounts Committee's review, it was found that the number was arbitrarily calculated without any specific criteria. No prior demand survey was conducted to determine how many North Korean defectors actually need trauma treatment, and the budget was allocated based on a rough estimate of the recipients.

There are also criticisms that the treatment program is inadequate. The Foundation proposed plans such as 'art therapy,' which is evaluated as far from the professional treatment required for 'trauma.' A Hana Center official who requested anonymity pointed out, "The request was for treatment of trauma caused by forced abduction, human trafficking, and sexual assault during the defection process, but if art therapy could solve it, existing centers could also provide linkage."

The Budget and Accounts Committee also sees problems with the expertise of the treatment personnel. While the Foundation hired two new clinical psychologists in addition to two existing counselors when establishing the 'Maeumsori Gonggam Center,' it was found that they only hold privately issued certificates. In contrast, all counselors at the Basic Mental Health Welfare Centers operated nationwide by the Ministry of Health and Welfare hold 'nationally certified clinical psychologist' qualifications.

Kang Dong-wan, a professor at Dong-A University and former director of the Busan Hana Center, said, "It was a very symbolic start to treatment, intended to support mid- to long-term and professional treatment for severe trauma," and criticized, "If they were going to provide counseling at the existing level, would they have spent hundreds of millions of won separately for the budget?" He added, "I had hoped that this would be done well and trauma treatment bases would expand to local areas, but in the end, it just increased the Foundation's office space."

When asked why Incheon was selected... "Because many North Korean defectors live there"

North Korean defectors waiting for third-country resettlement at Chiang Saen Police Station, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand, May 2007. [Image source=Yonhap News]

There are also criticisms that the Ministry of Unification and the Foundation used the budget differently from the National Assembly's resolution to simply expand their own size. The Foundation currently manages only three of the 25 Hana Centers nationwide?in Gyeongnam, Jeju, and northern Gangwon?while the rest are operated by local welfare centers under consignment. The Foundation did not allocate budget to metropolitan centers, which it cannot control, but instead tried to create a center in the metropolitan area where it can directly intervene.

In fact, the location where the Foundation pushed to open the center is 'Nonhyeon-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon,' only 5 km in a straight line from the existing Incheon Hana Center. Regarding the reason for selecting this location, the Foundation reported to the National Assembly that "there are many North Korean defectors in Incheon." However, as of June last year, the distribution of North Korean defectors in the metropolitan area was 10,870 in Gyeonggi, 6,696 in Seoul, and 2,902 in Incheon, making Incheon the smallest.

A Ministry of Unification official explained, "It can cover Incheon and the western Gyeonggi area, increasing the number of recipients to 4,600," and "Namdong-gu in Incheon is the district with the highest number of North Korean defectors nationwide at the district level." However, the Budget and Accounts Committee judged that this is merely a simple residential ratio and unrelated to the number of 'trauma treatment' recipients who should benefit from this budget.

Office of the South-North Hana Foundation. Photo by Hee-Jun Jang junh@

A Budget and Accounts Committee official said, "The Ministry of Unification and the Foundation not only established a budget execution plan unrelated to the National Assembly's resolution but also have no plan for trauma treatment, which requires high expertise," and added, "If case management had been properly conducted, it is questionable why they have not identified the number of recipients needing trauma treatment. We will reconsider the budget from scratch."

A Foundation official explained, "We considered utilizing the Seoul Hana Center, but due to difficulties in securing separate counseling spaces at existing centers, we planned to establish a center outside Seoul." He added, "Currently, there is no process for diagnosing and treating trauma, but we plan to develop it in the future," and "After initial counseling to classify types, severe cases will be linked to public medical hospitals."

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