Kenya-based S. Korean company aims to hire N. Korean defectors

▲ Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho (R) and South Korean businessman Choi Young-chul pose during a meeting at the ministry on Jan. 24, 2024. (Yonhap)

company-NK defectors

Kenya-based S. Korean company aims to hire N. Korean defectors

SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean businessman said Wednesday he is seeking to hire North Korean defectors as he donated 30 million won (US$22,000) to help them better resettle in the capitalist society.

The contribution by Choi Young-chul, who runs a hair wig business in Kenya, will be used to fund six educational institutions for North Korean defectors in South Korea, the unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs said.

"Looking back on the difficulties I went through while settling down in Africa, I thought I could perhaps help and give courage and hope to North Korean defectors who are adjusting to a new environment," Choi told reporters following a meeting with Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho at the ministry in central Seoul.

Choi expressed his hope to hire North Korean defectors as employees for his hair wig making company in South Korea, as well as in Kenya. No details were immediately available.

Kim thanked Choi for his donation and said the ministry plans to collaborate with more companies to provide better job opportunities for North Korean defectors.

Last year, the unification ministry held its first job fair in nine years to provide better support for North Korean defectors in the competitive South Korean job market, as some of them were facing challenges in securing jobs, partly due to language issues.

The divided Koreas use the same alphabet, known as Hangeul. However, decades of division -- capitalist South and communist North -- following the 1950-53 Korean War have resulted in dialectical differences and deviations in the meaning of words. Many South Koreans incorporate numerous English words into their daily lives, causing communication challenges between South and North Koreans.

The jobless rate of North Korean defectors in South Korea reached 6 percent in 2022, more than twofold that for all South Koreans, while their average retention period came in at 35.3 months, less than half of the 72 months for all South Koreans, according to government data.

The total number of the North's defectors in South Korea reached 34,078 as of the end of last year, according to ministry data.

South Korea has a longstanding policy of accepting any North Korean defectors who want to live in the South and repatriating any North Koreans who stray into the South if they want to return.

(END)

<저작권자(c) 연합뉴스, 무단 전재-재배포, AI 학습 및 활용 금지>

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved