North Korean defectors create political party
Officials of the Unification Party of North and South Koreas, a new political party launched by North Korean defectors, cheer during an inauguration ceremony at the Federation of Korean Industries Tower in Seoul, March 6. Fourth from left is An Chan-il and fifth from left, Kim Seong-min, who were elected co-leaders of the party. Courtesy of the Unification Party of North and South Koreas
New party calls for consistent policy on defector issues
This is the second in a series on minor parties with specific agendas that were newly launched to target proportional representation seats for the April 15 general election. ― ED.
By Jung Da-min
A chronic problem North Korean defectors face in terms of receiving institutional support or protection while struggling to settle in the South is that such social policies often lack consistency and are vulnerable to political shifts, according to defectors here.
They say recent years have been a rough time for many defectors. Specifically, the case last year of a destitute defector mother and her son who apparently died from starvation shocked their communities here and abroad, and showed how the current administration's engagement policy toward Pyongyang has negatively affected policies for defectors here, they say.
To make policies more reflective of their voice, North Korean defectors have gathered to create their own political party under the name the Unification Party of North and South Koreas, about two months ahead of the April 15 general election.
“North Korean defectors had once been called defector veterans under the slogan 'unification that came first,' but have now become troublemakers due to a cold shoulder from society,” read the party's inaugural declaration, issued Feb. 18. “The cases of defectors who committed suicide and the miserable life of a defector mother and son who died from starvation show the current state of the defector community under the Moon Jae-in government.”
The Unification Party of North and South Koreas held its inauguration ceremony March 6, and elected two co-leaders ― Kim Seong-min, founder of Free North Korea Radio who was with the North Korean military before his defection, and An Chan-il, who heads the World Institute for North Korea Studies and also a former member of the North's military.
Kim said that at first he was hesitant to respond to such calls from the defector community to create their own political party, thinking they did not have much time ahead of the election. But he said he later thought that now was the right time as the election features a new electoral system, which provides a better chance for minor parties to get proportional representation seats.
“Every time the administration changes, North Korea policies change, which is the problem. Every time the administration changes, the state of North Korean defectors changes. This is the reason for launching our own party that is reflective of defectors' interests,” he said in a recent phone interview with The Korea Times.
Kim said, as of Thursday, the party was recruiting hundreds of members, mostly in Incheon, to meet on of the conditions to form a legal political party ― having at least 1,000 members each in at least five regions under a central headquarters in Seoul. He said the party needs to submit a list of its proportional representation candidates by March 15 but the party will not be disbanded even if it fails to do so.
“Our goal is not necessarily winning Assembly seats themselves but establishing unification policies that reflect North Korean defectors' opinions,” Kim said.
The other co-leader Ahn said the party was not only for North Korean defectors here but also those living abroad and anyone supportive of North Korean defectors. He said the party especially welcomes overseas Koreans such as ethnic Koreans living in China and central Asia.
Ahn said an important task for the party was to embrace people still in North Korea, as the party exists to prepare for unification.
“About 34,500 North Korean defectors are in South Korea and many of them are still in touch with their family members in the North. They are physically apart from each other but still keeping the form of a family by secretly being in touch with each other. The family members in the North would say 'yes' if those in the South ask them to join the party,” Ahn said.
According to Ahn, North Korean defectors in other parts of the world have also joined the party, with about 50 members from Australia and Southeast Asia, 100 from European countries and 100 from the United States.
Meanwhile, former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho, who is running in Seoul's Gangnam-gu in the election as a member of the main opposition United Future Party, also expressed his support for the Unification Party of South and North Koreas, saying this year's election will be an opportunity to show the world that the two Koreas are one.