Without a trace: Missing North Korean defectors expose gaps in welfare system



Features Without a trace: Missing North Korean defectors expose gaps in welfare system New report reveals 70 defectors’ whereabouts are unknown in South Korea, leading experts to call for increased support Joon Ha Park \| Shreyas Reddy September 20, 2024 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON A woman in Sariwon, North Korea in 2008 \| Image: Eric Lafforgue Seventy North Korean defectors’ whereabouts remain unknown as of last year, including 11 who have been missing for over a decade, according to a South Korean unification ministry report. The data report, provided to NK News by South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Hong Keewon’s office, indicates an increase of eight unaccounted-for defectors compared to 2022. The report also revealed that the number of defectors who died without known relatives doubled from seven in 2019 to 14 last year. This trend has raised concerns about an increasing number of North Korean defectors falling through the gaps in the © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

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Without a trace: Missing North Korean defectors expose gaps in welfare system

New report reveals 70 defectors’ whereabouts are unknown in South Korea, leading experts to call for increased support

Joon Ha Park | Shreyas Reddy September 20, 2024

Without a trace: Missing North Korean defectors expose gaps in welfare system

A woman in Sariwon, North Korea in 2008 | Image: Eric Lafforgue

Seventy North Korean defectors’ whereabouts remain unknown as of last year, including 11 who have been missing for over a decade, according to a South Korean unification ministry report.

The data report, provided to NK News by South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker Hong Keewon’s office, indicates an increase of eight unaccounted-for defectors compared to 2022.

The report also revealed that the number of defectors who died without known relatives doubled from seven in 2019 to 14 last year. This trend has raised concerns about an increasing number of North Korean defectors falling through the gaps in the

About the Authors

Joon Ha Park

Joon Ha Park is a correspondent at Korea Risk Group. He has previously written on issues related to the two Koreas at The Peninsula Report, and appeared on ABC News Australia, Deutsche Welle and Monocle Radio. He specializes in offering in-depth analyses of South Korea’s defense policy, security relations and domestic politics for Korea Pro.

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Shreyas Reddy

Shreyas Reddy is the Lead Correspondent at NK News, based in Seoul. He previously worked as a researcher at BBC Monitoring, where his work focused on news and key people and organizations from the Korean Peninsula, Japan, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Follow him on Twitter.

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