New unification vice minister vows to support N. Korean defectors’ stable settlement

SEOUL: Kim Soo-kyung, the new vice unification minister, said Wednesday that she will strive to make it easier for North Korean defectors to settle in the country. She made the remarks during her inaugural ceremony, as she was appointed to the post Monday, succeeding her predecessor Moon Seoung-hyun. "As the vice unification minister, I will work diligently towards the goal of helping North Korean defectors achieve their stable settlement," she said. South Korea has a longstanding policy of accepting any North Korean defectors who want to live in the South and repatriating any North Koreans who accidentally stray into the South if they want to return. Citing various human rights violations committed by the reclusive regime, the former presidential spokesperson also said she will make efforts to collaborate with the international community and improve North Korea's human rights situation. "North Korean residents are deprived of even the most basic rights that humans should enjoy and are struggling to live day by day," she said. Before taking the post, Kim, who previously served as a journalist and university professor, had been working as the presidential spokesperson since December 2023. Source: Yonhap News Agency