One Police Personal Protection Officer Assigned to 29 North Korean Defectors... Issues of Regional and Gender Imbalance Also Arise

Rep. Lee Hyung-seok "High Concerns Over Crime Victimization of North Korean Defectors... Need for System Improvement"

Lee Hyung-seok, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Concerns have been raised that effective personal protection is difficult due to a shortage of police personal protection officers responsible for preventing crimes against North Korean defectors and other personal security duties.

According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee member Lee Hyung-seok of the Democratic Party of Korea on the 23rd, as of the end of September this year, there were 25,556 North Korean defectors requiring personal protection, while the number of police personal protection officers was only 881. This means that one police personal protection officer is responsible for an average of 29 defectors.

There was also a significant regional variation in the number of protection targets per personal protection officer. The number of North Korean defectors per police officer was highest in Southern Gyeonggi with 42, followed by North Chungcheong with 40, Incheon with 39, and South Chungcheong with 37. In contrast, Jeonnam (17) and Busan (19) had fewer cases compared to other regions.

It was also pointed out that while a significant number of North Korean defectors are women, the police personal protection officers are predominantly male. In fact, among the defectors requiring protection, 19,492 (76.3%) were women. Conversely, 75.8% (668) of the police personal protection officers were male.

Rep. Lee stated, "Since the majority of defectors requiring protection are women and belong to socially and economically vulnerable groups, there is a high risk of crime victimization, so it is necessary to improve the personal protection officer system with this in mind. Not only should the police increase their own personnel, but also ensure there are no blind spots in preventing crimes against defectors and supporting their settlement in local communities through cooperation with local governments and related organizations.