Life satisfaction rate among North Korean defectors hits record high

Cho Min-ho, president of the Korea Hana Foundation, speaks during a press conference at a hotel in central Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Unemployment rate falls to 4.5% as economic conditions improve for themBy Jung Min-ho

The rate of North Korean defectors satisfied with their lives in South Korea hit a record high of 79.3 percent this year amid an overall improvement in their economic conditions.

According to an annual report released Wednesday by the Korea Hana Foundation, which supports North Koreans trying to resettle here, their life satisfaction rate rose by 1.9 percent from in 2022 ― a continuation of the upward trend in recent years.

Meanwhile, their employment rate increased by 1.3 percent to reach a record high of 60.5 percent, and their unemployment rate decreased to a record low of 4.5 percent from 6.1 percent.

Moreover, their average monthly salary increased to 2,457,000 won ($1,900), narrowing the gap further with South Korean natives who earn about 3 million won on average.

When asked why they were satisfied with their new lives here, 41 percent chose freedom as their reason, followed by a better economic situation (23.6 percent) and being able to earn income for the time they work (20.5 percent).

All these are positive signs of their successful integration into South Korean society, said Cho Min-ho, president of the foundation.

“They have experienced both North Korea’s totalitarian system and the free democratic one in South Korea,” he said during a press conference in Seoul. “I think the more success stories they make, the more steps we take toward unification eventually.”

A woman checks a bulletin board set up for a job fair for people from North Korea at COEX in southern Seoul, Dec. 1. Yonhap

However, challenges remain. Among 18.1 percent of survey respondents who said they were dissatisfied with life in South Korea, 20.6 percent cited “fierce competition” as the reason, while 17.7 percent picked “discrimination.”

Asked whether they had experienced discrimination or social isolation because of their North Korean origin, 16.1 percent responded positively. The figure is an improvement, down from 19.5 percent last year. But many of them (72.8 percent) said cultural differences, including ways of communication such as their North Korean accents, often become the subject of discrimination, and over 45 percent said they believe South Koreans are prejudiced against them.

The rate of those with such unpleasant experiences had been on a steady downward curve from 25.3 percent to reach 16.1 percent in 2021. But after the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate bounced back to exceed 19 percent again — the highest level since 2018.

As life became more difficult for everyone due to the global health crisis, they might have felt more discriminated against as they tried to find or maintain jobs, according to staff at the foundation.

The study also suggests — interestingly — that North Korean escapees view the future of their children and themselves far more positively than those born in South Korea.

Asked whether they were satisfied with their socioeconomic achievements, 59.8 percent of North Korean defectors said they were. Only 31.8 percent of South Koreans gave the same answer for themselves.

Asked about the prospects of improvement in their socioeconomic status, 71.3 percent of North Korean respondents said the possibility is high. A little more than 26 percent of their South Korean counterparts gave the same answer.

In response to the same question regarding their children, 66 percent of North Koreans said the possibility is high. Among South Koreans, the rate was just 29.1 percent.