60% of N. Korean defectors advocate for changing official term: survey

Lee Kyu-chang, director of the Human Rights Research Division at the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification, announces the survey results Friday in Seoul. The survey targeted 505 North Korean defectors and 500 South Korean nationals. (KINU)

Nearly 60 percent of North Korean defectors believed it necessary to change the official terminology labeling them as "North Korean defectors," according to a survey released Friday by the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification.

The KINU reported that 58.9 percent of 505 North Korean defectors aged 18 and above, who were surveyed online, believed the term "should be changed," while 28.9 percent felt it "doesn't need to be changed." The remaining 12.2 percent were undecided.

When asked about the reasons for changing the terminology, 62.1 percent of those in favor cited "confusion in the terminology and negative perception" as the primary motivations.

Some 19 percent of those advocating for the change stated that the terminology should include not only those who came from North Korea to South Korea but also their families and children.

Meanwhile, 14.8 percent felt that the terminology "doesn't fully reflect the opinions of North Korean defectors." The remaining 5 percent cited other reasons.

A survey was conducted among North Korean defectors who believed the term "North Korean defector" should be changed to determine an appropriate alternative term. Six options were provided.

Among the respondents, 27.9 percent chose "Ha-na-min," representing people uniting North and South Korea, and 25.9 percent opted for "Ton-gil-min," symbolizing those early in unification. Additionally, 24.2 percent responded with "Buk-hyang-min," referring to people whose hometown is in North Korea.

Further, 9.3 percent chose "Buk-i-ju-min," meaning those who migrated from North Korea, 8.7 percent selected other terms, and 3.9 percent picked "Buk-bae-gyeong-ju-min," denoting people with a North Korean background and their children.

The Presidential Committee of National Cohesion on Thursday proposed changing the term North Korean defectors to either "Buk-bae-gyeong-ju-min" or "Tal-buk-guk-min," which can be translated as defected North Korean citizens.

However, when 500 South Korean nationals aged 18 and above were asked online whether the term North Korean defector is appropriate, 45 percent of respondents were in favor, slightly higher than the 40.8 percent who considered it "inappropriate." Additionally, 14.4 percent of respondents answered "don't know."

A survey was conducted among the general public who believe the term is inappropriate to understand their reasons.

The results revealed that 77.8 percent of respondents felt the term "carries a significant negative perception."

Additionally, 18.7 percent indicated that the term seems to refer exclusively to individuals who came from North Korea to South Korea, excluding their children born in South Korea.

The survey results of South Koreans showed the following preferences for alternative terms for North Korean defectors when given the same six options: 33.0 percent preferred people with hometowns in North Korea, 22.7 percent chose immigrants from North Korea, and 19.7 percent selected people uniting the two Koreas.

Additionally, 13.8 percent opted for people symbolizing early unification, 8.4 percent favored other terms, and 2.5 percent picked people with North Korean backgrounds.

By Ji Da-gyum(dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)