Around 10 elite North Koreans defected to South last year

Participants check a bulletin board at a job fair for North Korean escapees in COEX, southern Seoul, in this Dec. 1, 2023, file photo. Defections by members of the North Korean elite, such as diplomats and overseas students, surged in 2023 to the highest number in years, officials said on Thursday. Newsis

Defections by members of the North Korean elite, such as diplomats and overseas students, increased in 2023 to the highest number in years, serving as a clear indication of growing discontent and division within the ruling class.

Officials at the Ministry of Unification told reporters on Thursday that “around 10” such people were among 196 escapees who arrived here last year, adding that the details of their former job positions cannot be disclosed due to safety concerns. The total number also rose sharply from 67 in 2022 following North Korea’s move to ease strict border restrictions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“North Korean diplomats, other officials and students based overseas were told to return last year as the pandemic situation entered a new phase,” an official said.

“Many must have found it unacceptable after experiencing what was like to live in the free world, knowing that the economic situation even worsened and internal controls strengthened in North Korea.”

The recent policy shift in Pyongyang to decrease the number of diplomatic mission buildings in other countries might have influenced their choice to defect, as it implies potentially fewer opportunities to escape in the future, the official added.

The majority of defectors, nearly 85 percent, were women, with over half falling in the age range of their 20s or 30s. Approximately 72 percent had completed middle or high school, and around 70 percent said they resided in Hamgyong Province, located near the border with China.

A notable change in the recent pattern shown by North Koreans coming to the South is that many seek to do so after staying in third countries for years instead of coming directly from the North through China or Russia ― two countries it shares borders with.

Interestingly, an increasing number of escapees say their dissatisfaction with North Korea’s economic and political systems was their No. 1 reason to flee. It rose to the top spot in both 2021 and 2022 surveys, officials said. Data for last year is not available yet. Previously, food shortages had been the top reason.

Their exposure to media content from other countries could play a role in changing their perception about North Korea, especially among young people, according to officials.

With North Korea expected to further ease its border restrictions in the coming months, the number of defectors will likely continue to swell to pre-pandemic levels. Before the global health crisis, more than 1,000 North Korean escapees arrived in South Korea every year.

This underscores the need for the ministry to be prepared, with one pressing task being the normalization of Hanawon, its adjustment and education center for North Korean escapees. In an interview with Munhwa Ilbo, a local paper, released on Wednesday, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho expressed his commitment to stepping up such efforts.

South Korea has a longstanding policy of accepting any North Korean defector who wants to live here. So far, the government in Seoul has accepted more than 34,000 freedom-seeking North Koreans.