South Koreans against the term 'defectors' for North Korean refugees

According to a local think tank, nearly 60 per cent of South Koreans would prefer another word, but there is no consensus at present on an alternative. The issue touches on the identity of the inhabitants of the peninsula. Since 1953, at least 3,400 people have fled the North Korean regime.

Seoul (AsiaNews) – For most South Koreans, the term defector should not be used to refer to people who flee North Korea, this according to a survey by the Korea Institute for National Unification, a local think tank, Radio Free Asia reports.

According to 59 per cent of respondents, the official terminology must be changed, while 29 per cent said that no change was necessary. In Korean, people who leave North Korea seeking refuge in the South are called "talbuk-min" or "talju-min".

According to 61 per cent of respondents who support the change of terminology, these words have a pejorative connotation, for 19 per cent they give a negative image of families settling in South Korea, and for 15 per cent the terms do not consider the views of the escapees.

Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, more than 3,400 North Koreans have fled to the South, according to data from South Korea’s Unification Ministry. Many continue to flee to China or hide in other countries to avoid repatriation.

For some time, human rights groups have been arguing that these people should be seen as refugees, not defectors, a term used for those fleeing the North Korean regime.

This represents an attempt to promote a more active role for China, which instead considers North Koreans as economic migrants who entered the country illegally, so that they are not entitled to international protection.

The Korea Institute for National Unification presented its findings a few days ago, before Defectors’ Day, a new holiday the South Korean government set for 14 July.

South Korea's Presidential Committee of National Cohesion has proposed using new terms, such as “residents with northern background" or "people from one Korea."

But since there is no consensus, the best solution is to continue using existing terms, said Lee Kyu-chang, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

In his opinion, the best choice would be a term that identifies defectors as citizens of South Korea with equal rights as those born in the southern part of the peninsula.

Late last year, North Korea changed its official policy, defining South Koreans and North Koreans as two hostile nations.

Before, Pyongyang and Seoul had maintained the same line, that is, all Koreans, despite the division into two countries, belong to the same people.

“Kim Jong Un said that South and North Koreans are a different race of people," said Hyun In-ae, director of the Seoul-based Korean Peninsula Future Women’s Research Institute. “If we regard North Korean escapees as ‘immigrants,’ we essentially are agreeing with the North Korean regime’s opinion.”

• south korea
• north korea
• survey
• national identity
• defectors
• escapees
• terminology