7/18/2024 South Korea (International Christian Concern) — South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s administration marked the inaugural Defectors’ Day on July 14, commemorating a law passed 27 years ago that governs how North Korean refugees, including Christians who flee persecution, are to be protected and able to resettle in South Korea.
Defectors’ Day shows the president’s commitment to those who have fled North Korea. Furthermore, the president’s Ministry of Unification has explicitly stated that its policy focus is on preparing for “unification grounded in liberal democracy” between North Korea and South Korea, with a particular emphasis on human rights.
The South Korean government estimates there are more than 34,000 North Korean defectors who are resettled and living in South Korea. Many of these refugees are North Korean Christians who have escaped terrible persecution within North Korea.
Christians in North Korea are often sent to labor and prison camps, where they are beaten, starved, and overworked. From a young age, North Koreans are taught to spy on neighbors and relatives and report any Christian activity to authorities. An estimated 30,000 Christians are kept in North Korean labor and prison camps.
To mark the first Defectors’ Day, events across South Korea included dancing, exhibitions, and a civilian awards ceremony honoring the work of people who have tirelessly helped these North Korean refugees for decades, like Kim Seong Min, founder of Free North Korea Radio.
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