30 Counselors to Help North Korean Defectors
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Thirty professional counselors will help North Korean defectors resolve problems, including ones dealing with employment and psychological issues, starting later this month, the Ministry of Unification said Monday.
The government plans to increase the number of helpers to 100 in the first half of the year, a ministry official said.
``The 30 counselors selected last year are currently taking orientation classes,'' the official said, requesting anonymity. ``They will be dispatched to the government-run resettlement center, Hanawon, and other organizations for defectors.''
Of the counselors, seven are originally from North Korea.
They will help defectors here who are mostly struggling with depression and having difficulties finding jobs.
The number of North Korean defectors in the country is expected to exceed 20,000 this year, the official said.