Settlement Support for North Korean Defectors
1. Number of North Korean Defectors Entering South Korea
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As of December 2019, a total of 33,523 North Korean defectors entered South Korea.
- 1948 : First defection to the South
February 2007 : Number of defectors reached 10,000 persons
November 2010 : Number reached 20,000 persons
November 2016 : Number reached 30,000 persons
- 1948 : First defection to the South
< Number of North Korean defectors entering the South since 1998 >
2. Support for North Korean Defectors
| Category | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Settlement benefits | Basic settlement benefits | KRW 8 million for a single-person household |
| Financial incentives | A maximum of KRW 25.1 million for those who receive vocational training, obtain a certificate of qualification, or get a job | |
| Additional benefits | A maximum of KRW 15.4 million for seniors aged 60 years or older, the mentally or physically challenged, people in long-term medical treatment, children of single parents, and children born in third countries | |
| Housing | Housing arrangement | Arranging rental apartments |
| Housing subsidies | KRW 16 million for a single-person household | |
| Employment | Vocational training | A training allowance (Ministry of Employment and Labor) |
| Employment subsidies (paid to employers) | Half of pay (up to half a million won) per worker for a maximum of four years Those who entered South Korea before November 29, 2014 | |
| Employment support workers | Offering career counseling and job placement at 65 employment centers nationwide | |
| Others | Employment protection (preferential purchasing), settlement support for those aspiring to be farmers, and special employment | |
| Social welfare | Livelihood benefits | Those who receive Basic Livelihood Security Program (BLSP) benefits |
| Medical care | Free healthcare for those who receive Tier 1 Medical Benefits of the BLSP | |
| Pension exception | Allowing subscription by exception to the national pension plan for those aged between 50 and 59 at the time of making decisions on protection | |
| Education | Special admission and transfer to schools | Offering special admission for those who want to go to college |
| Support for tuition | Exemption from tuition for those enrolled in middle school, high school, a national or public university and subsidizing 50% of tuition for study at a private university | |
| Settlement assistants | - | Designating one or two settlement assistants for each household in the initial period of settlement Support workers |
| Support workers | - | Support workers system: community services (244 persons at local governments), employment counseling (65 persons at employment centers), and personal protection (900 persons at police stations) |