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Unification Ministry adopts new term 'North Korean-born citizens'

Published: 05 Mar. 2026, 16:51 Updated: 05 Mar. 2026, 17:16

South and North Korean members of a choir sing at a ceremony celebrating North Korean Defectors' Day at the Blue House on July 14, 2024, in this photo provided by the presidential office. [BLUE HOUSE]

The Ministry of Unification will use a new term, “North Korean-born citizens,” to refer to North Korean defectors to better reflect their status as South Korean nationals with full legal entitlements, officials said on Thursday.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has avoided calling former North Koreans who fled their home country to settle in South Korea or elsewhere “defectors” or “refugees,” instead referring to them as bukhyangmin, or people whose hometown is North Korea.

Since the beginning of this year, the Unification Ministry has also used the new term in official documents and public releases and encouraged the media to follow suit.

On Thursday, the ministry presented “North Korean-born citizens” as the English expression for the new term.

The term “North Korean defectors” has often been associated with social discrimination, as it highlights their North Korean backgrounds, though Korea recognizes them as citizens with full rights once they settle in the country.

“North Korean-born citizens” clearly limits its use to people born in North Korea while highlighting that they are South Korean citizens equally protected under the constitutional and legal system, the ministry said.

Yonhap