N. Korean defectors earn only third of S. Korean income: survey

SEOUL, March 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korean defectors working in South Korea earn
less than a third of the average monthly income of their South Korean
counterparts, according to a government survey released Tuesday.
According to the survey of 361 North Korean defectors working in the South, the
newcomers earned an average of 937,000 won (US$680) per person a month. The
average South Korean employee earned 2.9 million won a month in the third quarter
of last year, according to the latest data available from the Korea National
Statistical Office.
Male defectors were paid slightly more than females, earning 1.07 million won a
month compared to 845,000 won for women.
About 60 percent of respondents said their income was too low, while the
remaining 40 percent said they were content with what they were earning.
Twenty-one percent said they were in debt, mostly due to the money they paid to
brokers who arranged for their entrance into South Korea.
While the number of North Korean defectors with more diverse professional
backgrounds is rapidly increasing, the survey showed most of the newcomers ended
up in low-paying blue-collar jobs that require little education. Thirty percent
were in the manufacturing sector, followed by 19 percent in the hotel and
restaurant industry and 12 percent each in construction and retail. The
proportion of defectors in public service, health care, social welfare and
finance and education was insignificant.
Day laborers accounted for 43 percent, much higher than the 9 percent recorded
for South Korean workers.
The survey also showed that 52 percent of defectors were employed in small-sized
firms with 10 or fewer employees.
More than 15,000 North Korean defectors are living in the South, 9,950 of them
women, according to Unification Ministry data.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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