South Korea has increased funding for North Korean defectors to support their early settlement as part of its budget proposal for next year, in line with its new unification blueprint.
The unification ministry’s budget proposal, which was approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday, came to 1.55 trillion won ($1.16 billion), down 3.7 percent from this year.
Despite the overall decrease, the ministry has boosted the basic settlement grant for North Korean defectors by 50 percent, raising it from 10 million won to 15 million won. The ministry’s budget proposal is subject to parliamentary approval.
“Next year’s budget proposal reflects the government’s commitment to sound fiscal management while ensuring that the seven key initiatives outlined by President Yoon Suk Yeol in the ‘Aug. 15 unification doctrine’ are implemented without disruption,” a ministry official said on the condition of anonymity.
During his Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15, Yoon presented a vision for unification, which includes increased support for North Korean defectors in South Korea.
South Korea has a longstanding policy of accepting any North 스포츠 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.
The basic settlement grant is the initial financial aid provided to North Korean defectors to assist them with their early settlement in South Korea. Additional allowances are provided to vulnerable groups, such as those with disabilities.
The grant was set at 8 million won until 2022 before increasing to 9 million won last year and 10 million won this year.
If the budget proposal passes through the parliament, the settlement grant will have increased by 88 percent in just three years under the Yoon administration.