Rewards to North Korean defectors are to be boosted four-fold in legislation submitted to South Korea's parliament. If adopted, top defectors with high-grade information are to get "substantial rewards."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Jung Yeon-Je
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South Korea's Ministry of Unification said Sunday it would send to parliament legislation to quadruple "rewards to people who provide intelligence and knowledge that can enhance South Korea's security."
The future maximum on offer would be 1 billion won the equivalent to $860,000 or 820,000 euros.
A ministry insider quoted by South Korea's Yonhap news agency said it was the first intended reward "adjustment" in 20 years in monetary terms and reflected "the rise in consumer prices since 1997."
The ministry's statement rolled off scenarios such as "people who come over with a military plane or vessel," those who "turned in tanks, armored vehicles and guided weapons," or troops who "defect with small arms."
Making a living after defection
Yonhap quoted the insider further as saying that North Koreans were currently hesitant about defecting because they were "fearful" about how they would make their living after arrival in South Korea.
The planned legislative changes would "alleviate such worries to a certain extent," said the source.
The last high-profile defector was Pyongyang's former ambassador to Britain, Thae Yong-Ho, who changed sides in August last year, saying he wanted to raise awareness about the "gruesome realities" in the reclusive North Korea.
The late Kim Jong Nam (L) alongside dictator Kim Jong Un Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/S. Kambayashi/W. Maye
Presumed murder in Kuala Lumpur
North Korea is currently the focus of a Malaysian inquiry into last month's presumed nerve agent murder of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un.
South Koreans: “Peace is what we need”
For more than 60 years, a ceasefire has brought peace to the Korean peninsula. But the north/south divide is still a contentious issue on both sides of the border. South Koreans tell us what they think about North Korea.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
Two countries, one people - no peace
There is still no official peace between North and South Korea, despite the Korean War ending more than 60 years ago. Citizens remain separated by the “demilitarized zone” (DMZ), one of the most heavily armed borders in the world. Around 600,000 South Korean and 28,500 US troops face off against an estimated 770,000 North Korean soldiers stationed within 80 kilometers of the DMZ.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
Cold War relic
North Korea was founded as a communist country with support from both the Soviet Union and China, but over the years North Korea’s government has shifted away from the tradition of Marx and Lenin. Now, Juche or “self-reliance” and a “military first” policy are the guiding principles of the Kim dynasty.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
Families divided
The forced separation of the Korean people split up many families. More than six decades on, some of those connections are starting to fade. Still, there are more than 70,000 people waiting to take part in government-backed family reunions.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
A legacy of human rights abuses
Observers, including the UN and Human Rights Watch, have roundly criticized North Korea for human rights abuses including mass imprisonment, murder and enslavement. But, North Korea claims its citizens “enjoy genuine human rights”. The reclusive country argues human rights exist for the good of the state and say the rights of the individual could never replace the rights of the collective.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
Cut off from the world
In North Korea, all media is closely controlled and possessing foreign books and music or listening to broadcasts from across the border can result in prison sentences. People also have a skewed view of western culture - hamburgers were invented by Kim Jong Il in 2009.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
A country suffering
While South Korea has turned itself into a technological superpower, North Korea’s government has struggled to supply its citizens with even basic foodstuffs. The UN estimates that more than a quarter of children under five show signs of chronic malnutrition.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
Missed opportunities
Some had hoped that when western-educated Kim Jong Un took over in Pyongyang in 2011 it would usher in a new era in relations between the North and the South. But those hopes were soon dashed as Kim continued the restrictive policies of his father.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
Hope for the future
But despite the continuing state of war, many of the South Koreans we spoke to expressed their hope that relations would get better one day. The best future for many would be a reunited Korea.
Image: DW/Y. Zarbakhch
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Kim Jong Nam's sudden death at Kuala Lumpur's airport unleashed a rift in previously closer ties between North Korea and Malaysia.
From 2000 on, Malaysia's capital had been used by the United States as venue for attempted talks on stemming the North's missile program.
Last Thursday, Thae told Hong Kong television reporters that "North Korea is a society ruled in terror."
"For a big decision like killing Kim Jong Nam, no one could make a decision like that except Kim Jong Un," he said during a broadcast by Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV in South Korea.
China 'protector'
Kim Sung-Min, another high-profile defector who operates an anti-Pyongyang propaganda radio station in Seoul, said China had long protected Kim Jong Nam and his family who lived in Macau.
The French news agency AFP reported shortly after Kim Jong-Nam's death in February that his 21-year-old son, Han-Sol, was the next in danger.
Thae Yong-Ho defected in August last yearImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo
Han-Sol was believed to have graduated from the Science Po University in France, but his subsequent whereabouts were unknown.
AFP said China was still protecting the deceased Kim Jong Nam's family in case it needed a friendly figure to serve as replacement leader in the event of upheaval in the North.
The North Korean Kim family tree lists many figures who met violent deaths or were forced into exile over three generations.
