ID :
196899
Mon, 07/25/2011 - 06:51
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/196899
The shortlink copeid
Gov't conducts first comprehensive survey of N.K. defectors' lives
SEOUL, July 25 (Yonhap) -- The government is conducting its first comprehensive survey of North Korean defectors' lives in South Korea for use in building support policies, a public foundation for North Korean refugees said Monday.
The study comes as more than 21,800 North Korean defectors have settled in the South after fleeing their homeland to avoid chronic food shortages and harsh political oppression. It is the first time the government has carried out a full-scale survey, although various research organizations have previously studied individual aspects of defectors' lives.
Since July 1, the Unification Ministry and the North Korean Refugees Foundation have jointly surveyed defectors age 8 or above on a range of indicators, including their family situation, economic conditions and the level of children's education, the foundation said. The survey will continue until the end of August through personal visits by the foundation's professional counselors to defectors' homes, it said.
The survey will especially focus on the education of young defectors, who are known to have a higher dropout rate than their South Korean peers due to education gaps during their journey south and their unstable lives.
"The results of the survey are expected to be used as reference material in shaping support policies for North Korean defectors," the foundation said.
The study comes as more than 21,800 North Korean defectors have settled in the South after fleeing their homeland to avoid chronic food shortages and harsh political oppression. It is the first time the government has carried out a full-scale survey, although various research organizations have previously studied individual aspects of defectors' lives.
Since July 1, the Unification Ministry and the North Korean Refugees Foundation have jointly surveyed defectors age 8 or above on a range of indicators, including their family situation, economic conditions and the level of children's education, the foundation said. The survey will continue until the end of August through personal visits by the foundation's professional counselors to defectors' homes, it said.
The survey will especially focus on the education of young defectors, who are known to have a higher dropout rate than their South Korean peers due to education gaps during their journey south and their unstable lives.
"The results of the survey are expected to be used as reference material in shaping support policies for North Korean defectors," the foundation said.
