Research Report
Current State of the Settlement Support Policy for Residents escaping from North Korea and Tasks
2013.12.26
Category - Issue Brief
This report presents several temporary alternatives to improve the settlement support policy for residents escaping from North Korea as follows:
First, the settlement policy shall be established and implemented from the point of view of residents escaping from North Korea. Currently, there is a gap between the views of the beneficiaries and executors. As there is a massive gap between the expectation and the actual situation, the residents from North Korea have found it difficult to self-support.
Secondly, the budget and size of Korea Hana Foundation shall be expanded. It requires the time to secure the budget, however in the medium to longer term, the role of the Foundation shall be reinforced, and practical matters regarding the settlement shall be handled by the Foundation as the center.
Thirdly, it is necessary to have a control tower that handles everything regarding the settlement support policy for residents escaping from North Korea. At the moment, the settlement support deals with all the matters related to the everyday life, thus requires the collaboration of all related departments. Moreover, it covers the matters of unification emphasized under the Constitution. Therefore, it is worth examining the plan to have the office of primary responsibility as the Ministry of Unification, while the Office of Prime Minister takes a role as a control tower to advance the settlement support policy for residents escaping from North Korea.