The unification ministry said Thursday it is closely monitoring some 6,000 vulnerable North Korean defectors considered at a high risk of suicide attempts and lonely deaths due to financial difficulties and other hardships.
The move is part of the ministry's efforts to overhaul the resettlement system for North Korean defectors as it seeks to better protect such people who might be living in so-called welfare blind spots.
Since November last year, the ministry has selected around 6,000 vulnerable North Koreans who warrant close monitoring by utilizing 39 "crisis indicators," such as whether the supply of electricity, water and gas was suspended for their households or there was any previous attempt to commit suicide.
The government also said it is pushing for a law revision to allow government officials to do a house search with police for the North's defectors in the high risk group when they are out of contact.
The move follows a spate of tragic deaths of North Korean defectors in recent years. A North Korean woman who came to the South in 2002 was found in a "skeleton" state in Seoul in October 2022. The case has served as a wake-up call for the government to overhaul the system to protect North Korean defectors.
The government has also expanded its support for medical expenses by 1 million won (US$740) for North Korean defectors since January, according to the ministry.
The annual amount of medical support was raised to 3 million won for general illness and to 8 million won in the case of serious diseases, including cancer.
The North's defectors who earn less than 120 percent of the median income are eligible to receive the government's medical support.
The total number of North Korean defectors coming to South Korea reached 33,981 at the end of June, up 99 from the end of last year. The number of such incoming people has begun increasing this year after sharply dwindling due largely to North Korea's tight border closure over the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Yonhap News Agency