Human Rights Commission: Reflect Defectors' Views on 'North Korean Migrant' Name Change

South Korea's National Human Rights Commission has advised the government to ensure the voices of North Korean defectors are adequately heard before officially changing their designation from 'North Korean defectors' to 'North Korean migrants.' The commission recommended that the Ministry of Unification gather opinions and conduct public discourse to ensure procedural fairness in the name change.

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The name change process must be carried out with procedural legitimacy, including gathering the opinions of the parties concerned and conducting public discourse.

The Ministry of Unification started using 'North Korean migrants' as an official administrative term this year and intends to pursue a legal revision. This move, however, sparked controversy when a North Korean defector, identified as 'A', complained to the Human Rights Commission. 'A' claimed to have been excluded from a public opinion survey conducted by the ministry and argued that the survey lacked transparency and fairness. The defector also alleged that the ministry pushed ahead with the 'North Korean migrants' designation despite a majority of respondents opposing the change.

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The name change is being pursued to alleviate negative perceptions of North Korean defectors and promote social integration, and various opinion-gathering procedures have been followed.

In response, the Ministry of Unification stated that the name change aims to reduce negative perceptions of North Korean defectors and promote social integration. They asserted that various opinion-gathering procedures were followed. The ministry explained that the survey initially used a 'snowball sampling' method but later switched to an open link format to allow any defector wishing to participate to do so freely.

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The claim by 'A' of being excluded from the survey is not related to the basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution, and the name change to 'North Korean migrants' falls under the policy discretion of the Ministry of Unification.

While the Human Rights Commission's investigation committee dismissed 'A's individual complaint, deeming the name change a policy discretion of the Ministry of Unification, it found that the process did not sufficiently incorporate the opinions of the defectors themselves. Ministry data revealed that over half (53.4%) of surveyed defectors found the name change unnecessary. Among preferred alternative terms, 'other' received the most votes (30.3%), with many in this group favoring the retention of the original term. Additionally, numerous North Korean defector organizations opposed the use of 'North Korean migrants.' The commission concluded that it was difficult to assess whether sufficient consensus had been reached among the defectors. Recognizing that names significantly impact an individual's identity and honor, the commission stressed the need for the government to gather and respect the opinions of North Korean defectors when revising laws or implementing policies related to their designation.

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It is difficult to assess that sufficient consensus has been secured from the North Korean defectors, who are the parties concerned.