By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

The U.S. Department of State will directly provide groups organized by North Korean defectors here with financial support for the first time, according to reports Sunday.

Thus far, Washington has funded local groups working for improvement of North Korean human rights via the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a private organization supporting freedom around the world.

The move was construed as part of increased U.S. efforts to shed light on humanitarian issues in the Stalinist state.

The State Department posted a notice on the Human Rights Democracy Fund (HRDF) last September and about 50 organizations reportedly applied for the program.

Among the beneficiaries, Free North Korea Radio and the Coalition for North Korean Women's Rights were granted $500,000 and $300,000, respectively.

The groups will receive a certain amount of money every month for two to three years in accordance with their performance.

Kang Su-jin, founder and representative of the coalition, said she thinks that the U.S. department aims at nurturing North Korean defectors as future leaders through the direct funding.

An official of the department was quoted as saying on condition of anonymity by Radio Free Asia (RFA) that a total of $3 million has been set aside for the program.

But the official refused to elaborate on grantees, saying the issue was ``very sensitive.''

The HRDF has been used to monitor and promote human rights and democracy worldwide since its establishment in 1998.

Meanwhile, Suzanne Scholte, president of the Defense Forum Foundation (DFF), saw the direct assistance positively, saying, ``It's a great development and it certainly shows the commitment of our State Department in helping both South Korean NGOs and North Korean defector NGOs.''

The DFF is a nonprofit organization that sponsors educational programs on foreign affairs, defense, national security and human rights issues.

ksy@koreatimes.co.kr