Half of NK defectors send money to their homeland

Nearly half of North Korean defectors here have remitted money to their families in the impoverished communist nation under U.N. sanctions, a poll showed Sunday.

According to the survey of 396 North Korean defectors residing in South Korea, aged 15 or older, 49.5 percent said they have sent money to their families in the North, while 46 percent said they have not and 4.5 percent said that they have no family there.

The survey was conducted from Dec. 14-31 last year by the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, a Seoul-based private group.

With regard to the amount of money remitted last year alone, 31.7 percent of survey respondents said they sent 510,000 won ($450) to 1 million won, followed by between 1.01 million to 2 million won (16.7 percent); and more than 5 million won, less than 500,000 won and between 2.01 million won and 3 million won (12.5 percent each).

The amount 1 million South Korean won is reportedly worth six months of living costs in the North.

South Korea's per capita income reaches $20,000, while many international organizations report that of the North sits at just $1,000.

The average monthly income of North Korean defectors with jobs here was 1.04 million won and 38 percent of them were part-timers, the survey showed. (Yonhap)

‘탈북자 북에 송금…51만-100만원 많아’

국내 탈북자의 절반가량이 유엔의 제재 조치를 받고 있는 북한에 있는 가족에게 송금한 적이 있다는 조사 결과가 처음 나왔다.

국내에 거주하는 15세 이상 탈북자 396명을 면접 조사한 결과, 조사대상자 중 49.5%가 북한의 가족에게 송금한 적이 있다고 밝힌 반면, 46%는 송금한 적이 없다고 말했고, 4.5%는 북한에 가족이 없다고 답했다.

이 조사는 서울에 본부를 둔 북한인권정보센터가 작년 12월14-31일 사이에 실시했다.

작년 한해 동안 개인별 송금 총액을 보면 51만-100만원이 전체 응답자의 31.7%로 가장 많았고 이어 101만-200만원(16.7%), 500만원 이상(12.5%), 50만원 이하(12.5%), 201만∼300만원(12.5%) 순이었다.

우리 돈 100만원이면 북한에서는 약 반년치 생활비에 해당하는 것으로 알려졌다.