By Lee Suh-yoon
The
number of North Korean defections to South Korea continues to decrease due to rising broker fees and higher risk at the North Korea-China border, according to data from the Ministry of Unification Thursday.
According to the data, 771 North Korean defectors entered the country between January and September last year, compared to 881 in the same period in 2017. Though the figures for the fourth quarter are not out yet, it is likely the number of defections will not surpass 1,000 in 2019, recording the lowest figure since the ministry started collecting quarterly data in 2008.
The turning point was 2012, after incumbent North Korean leader Kim Jong-un came to power following his father's death. Between 2006 and 2011, 2000 to 2900 North Korean defectors were entering the country every year. That figure dropped to 1,502 in 2012. It has been slowly declining since.
Reports attribute the drop to stronger security at North Korean borders with China, the most common escape route.
According to Principal Lee Hung-Hoon of Yeomyung School, those who have just defected from North Korea are becoming rarer among enrolling students. With 84 students aged 17 to 27, Yeomyung School is the only government-accredited institution catering to the special needs of young North Korean defectors.
"It's very hard to defect from North Korea now," Lee said. "So most of our new enrolling students are those who were born in China to North Korean mothers who had already left the country. Currently, 45 percent of our students are born in China and will likely make up over half of our student body soon."
Increased surveillance along the barbed wire border at the Tumen River has raised the stakes for defection brokers, leading to higher fees. Reports say the cost of hiring a broker has risen as high as $20,000 from about $4000 10 years ago.
There are about 33,000 North Korean defectors registered in the country. Over 70 percent are women and 15 percent are 19 or younger.
