Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Unification ministry adopts new English term for North Korean defectors
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young speaks during an interagency meeting on peace and safety in border areas at the Inter-Korean Dialogue Office in Jongno District, Seoul, Feb. 26. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
The Ministry of Unification said it will use “North Korean-born citizens” as the standard English expression for people from North Korea who now live in the South.
The ministry recently circulated guidance on the new term, explaining that it was chosen to better reflect both their birthplace and their legal status as citizens protected under South Korea’s Constitution.
Previously, several English terms have been used to describe them, including “defectors,” “refugees” and “escapees.” Officials said those expressions tend to focus on the act of fleeing North Korea rather than the individual’s identity.
The new phrase, they said, reflects both their birthplace in North Korea and their status as citizens under South Korean law.
The ministry added that the term also reflects the constitutional principle that people from North Korea are recognized as South Korean citizens, even if they are currently residing in a third country.
The guidance comes as the government promotes a new Korean term referring to people whose hometown lies in the North, rather than the commonly used expression that literally means “those who escaped from North Korea.”
Some groups representing North Korean defectors have criticized the change, saying the new term could diminish the significance of their escape in search of freedom. They also claim that the government pushed ahead with the change without sufficient consultation.