Mitigating the Pyschological Effects of Resettlement in Inter-Korean Migrants

Since 2006, over 1,500 North Korean citizens have defected to South Korea each year to seek political and economic freedom. In 1981, North Korea signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which grants individuals the right to leave any country freely. Even though the North Korean government petitioned to withdraw from the Covenant in 1997, this request was not granted and the state remains a signatory obliged to respect the Covenant’s provisions. Nevertheless, its citizens are prohibited from leaving the country without permission and face imprisonment, torture, or execution if caught. As a result, many who choose to escape live under fear of capture and forced repatriation.Several credible empirical and investigative studies have uncovered traumatic psychological damage in many North Korean migrants stemming from abuses in their home country and defection journey. Although the South Korean Ministry of Unification’s current integration program for North Korean migrants grants monetary rewards, scholarships for vocational training, and cultural education, the program overlooks the need for psychosocial assistance.Since the 1980s, North Korean citizens have defected to South Korea in increasing numbers. By the end of 2012, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, which oversees all inter-Korean communications and South Korean policy toward its northern neighbor, recorded 24,614 North Korean refugees that crossed its borders since 1998. If found and repatriated, the migrants are charged with treason and held as political prisoners. North Korean defectors begin their journey with full knowledge of this risk, and they live with constant threat throughout their flights. Even if they manage to cross the North Korean border, migrants still fear being caught and arrested by North Korean secret police in other countries while en route to South Korea. As a result, more than half of defectors develop mental health issues. Studies found that about 25 percent of North Korean migrants suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, more than 75 percent suffer from depression, and over half contemplate suicide. Although the South Korean Ministry of Unification offers cultural integration and vocational courses at its Hanawon resettlement center, these courses often cannot undo the cultural differences and entrenched suspicion between the two nations that have been built over the last 60 years.Many North Koreans struggle to transition from an isolated communist regime to an open capitalist society. The inability for migrants to find jobs and make friends increases their anxiety, depression, and guilt after leaving loved ones in North Korea. These psychological pressures make it more difficult for migrants to adjust and settle into South Korean society. The Ministry of Unification does not currently have a system that addresses the mental status of North Korean migrants. Although Doctors without Borders conducted psychological counseling missions in the early 2000s, it ended its South Korean operations in 2006, and no other organization currently offers an equally comprehensive service. In addition, oversight of North Korean migrants entering South Korea currently belongs to the Ministry of Unification, National Intelligence Service, and the state police. Each department manages a different aspect of defection cases, but this multi-departmental approach may be responsible for inefficiencies and inconsistent management over the resettlement process.Because migration remains a central issue for South Korea, the state is a long-standing contributor to the international dialogue on migration and its impact on development. South Korea maintains membership in the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and has participated in all seven Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) conferences. The GFMD has served as the respected stage for discussions among states for mitigating the negative effects of migration on state development and emphasizing the positive aspects of migration on society. Many of the recommendations that result from each GFMD have later been reflected or recognized in UN resolutions.Given the South Korea’s commitment to improving migrant integration, Seoul should expand the scope of the Ministry of Unification’s integration services to address the psychological effects that resettlement inflicts upon North Korean migrants. The South Korean government should establish a program of psychotherapeutic support services under the Ministry of Unification for inter-Korean migrants. This program will assist migrants in achieving a smoother process of resettlement and integration. The Ministry of Unification should require North Korean defectors to undergo trauma counseling as part of the resettlement process until the doctor deems the migrant mentally fit, which would give migrants the option to extend counseling. In addition, participants of future GFMD conferences and member states of the IOM should push Seoul to more aggressively confront this issue of mitigating psychological issues among North Korean defectors.