Monument set up to commemorate North Korean defectors who died during escapes

Seoul: The South Korean Unification Ministry on Thursday unveiled a monument near the inter-Korean border to commemorate North Korean defectors who lost their lives during escapes from the repressive regime.

The monument was set up at the Odusan Unification Observatory in Paju, a border city just south of the Demilitarised Zone separating the two Koreas, the ministry said in a release, Yonhap news agency reported.

The move came as the government has designated July 14 as the official day for North Korean defectors. The date marks the enactment of the law on protecting North Korean defectors and supporting their settlement, which came into effect on this date in 1997.

The ministry held a ceremony to unveil the monument, bringing together Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho; Tae Yong-ho, the Secretary-General for the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council; and around 60 North Korean defectors.

The monument has the inscription, "To commemorate the 'yearning' and 'courage' of North Korean defectors for freedom, and to honour those who sacrificed their lives during their defection journey."

In a speech, Minister Kim emphasised the significance of the establishment of North Korean defectors' day and the monument, expressing his commitment to spreading their noble courage.

South Korea has a longstanding policy of accepting any North Korean defectors who wish to live in the South. Currently, South Korea is home to more than 34,000 North Korean defectors. The flow of defectors continues amid chronic food shortages and harsh political oppression in North Korea.

In the first half of the year, the number of North Korean defectors arriving in South Korea reached 105, slightly up from 99 the previous year.