Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SEOUL4281
2006-12-15 09:05:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Seoul
Cable title:  

NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES IN THE ROK: AN OVERVIEW

Tags:  PREF PHUM PGOV PREL KTIP KS KN 
pdf how-to read a cable
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FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1931
INFO RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 7720
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1842
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1743
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RUDKIA/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 0903
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 1252
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RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 3235
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 1167
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J5 SEOUL KOR
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J2 SEOUL KOR
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA SCJS SEOUL KOR
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SEOUL 004281 

SIPDIS

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SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM PGOV PREL KTIP KS KN
SUBJECT: NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES IN THE ROK: AN OVERVIEW

REF: A. SEOUL 1837

B. 05 SEOUL 666

C. SEOUL 4131

D. 05 SEOUL 77

SUMMARY
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SEOUL 004281

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PHUM PGOV PREL KTIP KS KN
SUBJECT: NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES IN THE ROK: AN OVERVIEW

REF: A. SEOUL 1837

B. 05 SEOUL 666

C. SEOUL 4131

D. 05 SEOUL 77

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (SBU) The ROKG's resettlement programs for North Korean
refugees have evolved over time as the number of refugees has
grown and their demographics have changed. South Korean
officials and experts see the ROK's efforts to help the
nearly 10,000 refugees successfully resettle in the ROK as
the first step toward, and a preview of, reunification. The
ROK's programs include financial, educational, and employment
assistance, involving numerous government agencies and civil
society groups. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) This is the first in a series of cables outlining
resettlement programs and conditions for North Korean
refugees in the ROK. Information and comments were provided
through meetings in November and December 2006 with ROKG
officials, academic experts, NGO leaders, and several
resettled North Koreans. Our interlocutors were from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT),Ministry of
Unification (MOU),and Ministry of Labor (MOL),the Hanawon
resettlement facility, local community offices, and NGOs.

HISTORY OF RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM
--------------


3. (SBU) The ROK is approaching a landmark of 10,000
resettled North Koreans, the vast majority of whom have
arrived since the late 1990s. The ROKG calls them
"Saetomin," or new settlers; to most Koreans they are known
as "Thalbukja," or "people who have escaped the North." Lee
Kang-rak, former Hanawon Director and current
Secretary-General of the Association of Supporters for

SIPDIS
Defecting North Korean Residents, reported that prior to the
mid-1990s, most North Korean refugees who came to the ROK
were political defectors of a relatively high level, whom the
ROK saw primarily as intelligence assets and public diplomacy
tools in its competition with the North. Government
assistance to North Korean refugees was first directed under
the 1962 Special Relief Act for Patriots, Veterans, and North
Korean Refugees, which provided large amounts of cash
assistance to North Koreans.



4. (SBU) During the 1990s, as the number of North Korean
refugees arriving in the ROK increased, and more of them came
from marginalized classes, the ROK's programs shifted to
providing rehabilitation as well, with the goal of helping
them adjust to life in South Korean society. In 1997, the
ROK passed the "Protection of Defecting North Korean
Residents and Settlement Support Act" (1997 Protection Act),
which outlined the Government's policies and programs for
North Koreans resettled in the ROK. Through this law, the
ROK extends protection to North Koreans seeking protection in
third countries, establishes the criteria for protection to
be granted, and sets the rights and obligations of refugees.
The 1997 Protection Act authorizes the establishment of
resettlement facilities, training programs, and housing
assistance programs, and outlines North Koreans' access to
longer-term assistance programs.


5. (SBU) Bureaucratically, the 1997 Protection Act empowers
the Ministry of Unification (MOU) to grant protection to
North Koreans, although the National Intelligence Service
(NIS) also has a role if "national security" is involved.
Under this Act, the ROK grants protection to all North

SEOUL 00004281 002 OF 003


Koreans, unless they have: committed international criminal
offenses involving aircraft hijacking, drug trafficking,
terrorism or genocide; committed serious nonpolitical crimes,
such as murder; are suspected of disguised defection (i.e.,
spies); or have earned a living in another country of
domicile for a considerable time period or acquired another
foreign nationality after defecting from North Korea. NK
Database Center President Yoon Yeo-sang and several legal
experts explained that the 1997 Act does not give the ROKG
the ability to decide which North Koreans can or cannot enter
the ROK, but empowers the Government to decide who receives
protected status, including facilitating their transit from
third countries or extending financial assistance to them.

HANAWON
--------------


6. (SBU) After their arrival, North Koreans are considered
ROK citizens, entitled to the same public assistance benefits
as all other South Koreans. In addition, to help North
Koreans adjust to life in the South, the ROK has developed an
assistance program specifically to ease resettlement. Key to
the ROK's program is the Hanawon resettlement facility, which
nearly all North Koreans attend for 10 weeks following
completion of a preliminary screening process. Hanawon's
programs provide North Koreans with a basic understanding of
South Korean society, democratic and free market principles
and human rights, as well as educational and vocational
training (Refs A and B).

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
--------------


7. (SBU) The ROKG has periodically adjusted its assistance
package as the number of North Koreans entering the ROK
increased and as experts learned more about their
effectiveness. At present, the ROKG provides all North
Korean refugees with a basic payment of KRW 10 million (about
USD 10,000),with KRW 3 million (USD 3,000) paid upon
graduation from Hanawon and the remaining KRW 7 million (USD
7,000) paid in three-month installments over two years. The
ROKG provides additional incentive payments up to KRW 15.4
million (USD 15,400) for North Koreans who complete training
programs or obtain long-term stable employment. Senior
citizens and persons with disabilities or long-term illness
are provided with up to KRW 15.4 million (USD 15,400) in
additional funds. The ROKG provides North Korean resettlers
with public housing or with KRW 10 million (USD 10,000) for
leasing their own apartment. In addition to this assistance,
North Korean refugees also have access to the ROK's Basic
Livelihood Security (or welfare) program, unemployment
assistance, old-age pension, and medical insurance and
benefits. According to MOU statistics, 72 percent of North
Koreans receive Basic Livelihood Security Assistance and 80
percent receive health insurance benefits.

VOCATIONAL SUPPORT
--------------


8. (SBU) The Ministry of Labor (MOL) assigns each North
Korean an employment protection officer, who helps them find
employment and obtain additional vocational training. The
MOL recruits companies to hire North Korean resettlers, and
subsidizes 50 percent of their wages for two years. North
Koreans under 25 are exempt from paying middle and high
school tuition fees, and those under 35 are provided with
free university tuition. The ROKG has established special
schools for North Koreans to help them overcome educational
gaps and better integrate into the public education system
(Ref C). The ROK has also established quotas for North

SEOUL 00004281 003 OF 003


Korean refugees at universities to ease the admission
process.

IN-KIND VS. CASH ASSISTANCE
--------------


9. (SBU) The above package of assistance has been in place
since 2005, when the ROKG reduced the amount of up-front
assistance to address the prevailing complaint that many
North Koreans paid most or all of their resettlement
assistance to brokers who assisted in their journey to the
South (Ref D). Some experts ascribe different motives.
Kookmin University scholar Andrei Lankov argued that the
change was a way for the ROK to reduce the number of North
Koreans coming to the ROK by discouraging "chain defection,"
in which North Koreans paid brokers to bring family members
to the ROK. Han Ki-hong, President of NK Net, agreed with
the ROKG's goal of helping North Koreans become more
self-sufficient through incentive packages, but also thought
the reduction of up-front assistance was motivated in part to
keep refugees from giving money to brokers to bring their
family members to the ROK.


10. (SBU) Some practitioners who work directly with North
Korean refugees in the resettlement process believe that the
financial assistance provided should be further restructured,
however, with an even greater focus on self-sufficiency. The
director of one of the largest private resettlement centers
for North Koreans argued that the ROK should provide
financial assistance for a shorter time period so refugees
are encouraged to obtain employment more quickly.

HUMANITARIAN VS. POLITICAL GOALS
--------------


11. (SBU) The ROKG continues to balance the humanitarian and
political aspects of its programs for North Korean refugees.
While the goal of the ROK's resettlement program is helping
North Koreans adjust to life in the ROK, Lee Kang-rak said
that helping this population succeed is an important
preparation for unification, allowing the ROK to determine
how best to integrate North Koreans. Asia Foundation Program
Director Moon Chun-sang argued that the ROK should think
beyond its current welfare-focused approach to resettlement
and move toward a unification approach that would help
prepare North Koreans for a meaningful role in a unified
Korea, particularly by providing advanced educational
opportunities to refugees.
VERSHBOW