Average compensation increased for defectors reporting on North Korea in 2018: lawmaker

The average compensation given to North Korean defectors for reporting information valuable to the South’s national security has quadrupled from last year, a lawmaker said Tuesday.

According to data that Rep. Park Byeong-seug of the Democratic Party of Korea received from the Unification Ministry, the average compensation given to a defector was 79 million won ($69,600) in September, 4.6 times more than the figure recorded in the same month last year. 

The South Korean government provides special compensation when North Korean defectors report information valuable to the South’s national security or bring goods from the North.

The Unification Ministry attributed the increase in the amount of compensation to the influx of high-ranking officials, soldiers and traders who provided valuable information, according to the lawmaker. A law revision that raised the compensation amount also had an impact, he added.

The number of recipients of compensation, however, dropped dramatically from 44 in 2017 to nine this year. In 2016, 51 defectors received compensation, and the average amount given to a defector was 21 million won.

More people received compensation greater than 50 million won this year as well.

While 9.1 percent of the recipients were given more than 50 million won in compensation last year, the proportion rose to 66.7 percent this year.

The Unification Ministry revised the refugee support act in March last year to raise compensation for valuable information to up to 500 million won, from the previous 250 million won.

The amount of compensation depends on the value of the information and the goods brought by the defectors. For example, those who bring warships or fighter bombers can receive up to 500 million won, while those who defect with tanks, guided weapons or other airplanes can receive up to 300 million won.

For weapons such as guns and rifles, the maximum compensation is 50 million won, and commercial goods are compensated according to their market value.

For information and equipment deemed to be of great importance for national security, the unification minister can approve compensation of up to 1 billion won.

When a North Korean soldier defected to the South in a MiG-19 combat plane in February 1983, he was paid about 1.5 billion won. There was no refugee support act in place at the time.

The South Korean government provides North Korean defectors with up to 25.1 million won when they first arrive, which includes a basic subsidy of 7 million won, about 13 million won for housing and funding for occupational training.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)