Most North Korean defectors in South Korea are experiencing economic hardship due mainly to their lack of understanding of capitalist culture, despite the efforts by the Seoul government to help them adjust. According to a report compiled by the Unification Ministry, some 70 percent of North Korean defectors were living on government allowances for the poor as of September. Another government report, released in June, shows 2,689 of 3,559 defectors have the capability to work, but only 39 people, or 1.45 percent, are actually employed.
This puts the government in a quagmire as more and more North Korean defectors are trying to escape their impoverished hometowns and enter South Korea to begin a new life. Experts expect the number of North Korean defectors in the South may surpass the 10,000 mark as early as next year with more than 300,000 defectors estimated to be living in China.
South Korea is a major destination for North Koreans fleeing their country, and the Seoul government has generally welcomed their entry. All the defectors must receive education for several months at a Unification Ministry institution called Hanawon before entering Korean society, but the education has as yet failed to provide enough skills and knowledge for the defectors to settle in properly, critics say. The programs in Hanawon focus more on South Korean culture and capitalist systems rather than teaching practical skills such as how they can make a living in South Korea, according to defectors. ``North Korean defectors are not prepared to jump into a jungle of capitalists. They are used to the rationing system for food and necessities,'' a defector told The Korea Times. ``After spending months at the Hanawon, we are forced to go out and compete with South Korean people.'' |