South Korea to increase resettlement funds for North Korean defectors on its territory

14 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has announced that he will “substantially” increase resettlement funds for North Korean defectors, which have been stagnant since 2005, after promising to do “everything possible” to welcome “all” of them to his territory.

“I will do my best to ensure that all those who defect from North Korea are welcomed by South Korea,” Yoon said at an event marking the first official day dedicated to these victims of the Kim Jong Un regime.

During the event, which took place in the town of Cheong Wa Dae, the president defended this position, arguing that it is a question of human rights essential for “peace and the unification of the Korean peninsula.”

“We will never neglect North Koreans who suffer under the North Korean regime,” he promised to 200 North Korean defectors and their families, in remarks reported by the Yonhap news agency.

In this regard, the president stressed the “search for freedom” of North Korean dissidents and how this “can change the destiny of people.”

The South Korean president has also announced that public administrations will hire more defectors, while promising “tax credits and other incentives” to companies that take this step.

This is the first time the day has been officially celebrated since the Unification Ministry designated it last January, arguing that these defectors are South Korean citizens under the Constitution.