North Korean defectors living in the South saw modest improvements in employment and life satisfaction over the last year, according to a new government-funded survey.

But the positive findings come after Seoul reported that the suicide rate among escapees remains more than double the general population, pointing to continuing challenges for defectors who resettle in South Korea.

The employment rate of North Korean defectors increased 1.2 percentage points on-year to 61% in 2025, while the unemployment rate fell 0.9 percentage points to 5.4%, according to the new report by the Korea Hana Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Seoul’s Ministry