S. Korea moves to rename North Korean defectors as migrants
Justice Minister Chung Sung-ho and Unification Minister Chung Dong-young exchange greetings during a plenary session at the National Assembly on the 23rd. Photo by Asia Today
Dec. 23 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Tuesday it will move quickly to decide and implement a change to the official term used for North Korean defectors, replacing it with “North Korean migrants.”
A Unification Ministry official told reporters the ministry plans to reach a conclusion and proceed “as soon as possible” on the terminology change.
The ministry previously said in a work briefing for President Lee Jae-myung on Friday that it would pursue revising the designation. During that briefing, Lee, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok and Unification Minister Chung Dong-young used the term “North Korean migrants” instead of “North Korean defectors,” according to the report.
Chung said at the meeting that defectors broadly reject the current term “defector,” but the report said a significant number are also voicing opposition to “North Korean migrants.”
The Unification Ministry publicly raised the idea of changing the designation in September and conducted opinion polling, but the results have not been released, the report said.
– Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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