Seven in 10 North Korean defectors living in Seoul are struggling to make ends meet, according to a new survey by a government think tank, while escapees’ earnings continue to lag behind the South Korean national average.

Experts told NK News that the findings underscore how social prejudice and a lack of family support network contribute to defectors’ economic difficulties, pointing to the need for alternative policies to help North Koreans resettle in the South.

Some 85% of the 31,000 North Korean defectors living in the ROK are based in the capital area, and the surveyby the Seoul Institute