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By Kim Hyo-jin
Many North Korean defectors find it hard to settle in South Korea and move to other countries after making a difficult escape from the North, according to government data.
Of 900 North Korean defectors whose residence had remained unknown as of June this year, 746 (82.9 percent) turned out to have moved overseas, Rep. Lee Seok-hyun of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said Friday, based on unification ministry data.
The National Police Agency conducted the survey in response to one-time South Korean TV personality Lim Ji-hyun's re-defection to North Korea in July.
The survey also showed 110 defectors moved to a new residence within the country, 22 remained unreachable, 12 returned to North Korea and eight were dead.
Double defections appear to be chronic with the data showing 26 defectors left the country within the last year, 29 left more than a year ago but less than three years ago, and 99 left more than three years ago but less than five years ago.
The issue is that these people could be left adrift, now that countries in the West, their preferred destination, have strengthened standards to be classified as asylum seekers.
Refugee advocates here say they know of North Korean defectors who tried to move to another country, only to be reclassified as illegal immigrants when their refugee applications were declined, or had to return to South Korea while being stripped of the previous benefits of a North Korean defector.
Police data shows 746 defectors moved to 25 countries. Canada was the most popular country with 169 North Korean defectors, followed by the U.S. (113) and the U.K. (97)
They are the representative countries that have toughened their screening system for refugees.
In Canada, 218 North Korea defectors received asylum seeker status in 2012 but the number has plummeted since then, according to its immigration ministry data. Only one or two applicants have been accepted annually since 2014. The U.K. has accepted nobody since 2014, Home Office data shows.
"There are so many North Korean defectors who came back to South Korea after the failed double defection," a missionary working to help refugees said on condition of anonymity.
"Many reasons exist, but some are those who sought another defection based on wrong information or those who got conned by brokers."
A North Korean defector who asked to remain anonymous said her younger brother fell victim to fraud last year when a broker promised to help him through refugee screening in Germany.
When her brother arrived at a German airport, the broker was not there. And it was after she had already paid 3 million won ($2,690) up front and given his passport to the broker.
The brother, left with nothing, soon came back to South Korea, she said.
Why a third country?
Kim Dan-bi, 26, a North Korean defector, says about 20 out of 50 or 60 North Korean friends had left South Korea.
Kim, who has lived in South Korea for six years, said that although she settled in the South after marriage, she also once strongly yearned to move to another country.
"It was hard to put up with discrimination from South Koreans when I came from North Korea," she said. "Knowing that I'd be treated no different to other immigrants in foreign countries, I found the environment very attractive."
It was definitely a better option career-wise, she stressed.
"Here, many defectors work as part-timers due to lack of education or career experience and hop from one job to another," she said.
"If I had to live like this, I thought I'd be better off in developed countries that treat blue-collar workers better, with higher salaries and lighter workloads."
Experts and lawmakers point out that South Korea has yet to establish a systematic support scheme for North Korean defectors despite their growing numbers.
Rep. Lee Seok-hyun, a member of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, said the government had to broaden its assistance to North Korean refugees, including help with finding sustainable jobs.
"The focus should be put on helping them get proper jobs," he stressed, referring to current assistance centering on offering money for a limited period.
Kim Young-hui, 52, a North Korean defector who came to Seoul in 2003 and now heads the North Korea economy team at KDB bank, said creating a tight social network for defectors is critical.
She said it is often the case that within one to five years after defection, refugees need psychological support while adjusting to the new environment.
"It's really hard to settle here at first, in the face of discrimination and cold looks from South Koreans," Kim said, recalling she once hoped to move to the U.S., following a senior defector she was close to. "Worse, between North Korean defectors, it's sometimes hard to easily rely on each other because of jealousy if the other is more successful."
She called on the government to establish more social groups in villages where South Koreans and North Korean defectors can build relationships while engaging in cultural exchanges. "Having a friend who can give you advice and psychological support will be a huge help," she said.
Sokeel Park, director of research and strategy at Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), a U.S. and South Korean NGO that helps defectors, however, offers a fresh perspective.
"Things have changed now compared to the 2000s. It's more difficult for potential double defectors as many developed countries are less inclined to accept them," he said. "So it has become even more important that they are able to resettle well in South Korea if they come here.
"Also, even before they resettle it is important for them to be able to make an informed decision about which country they're going to live in."
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