The government designated July 14 as North Korean Defectors' Day earlier this year as part of efforts to assist North Korean refugees in adapting to their new life in the South.
The initiative aims to raise awareness about the challenges many defectors face and to provide support for their resettlement.
Various week-long events, film screenings, and consulting programs are underway to celebrate the designation. There will also be a fashion show, an exhibition of North Korean products, and performances by North Korean defectors at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in central Seoul this weekend.
About 300 participants attended the forum including U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights issues Julie Turner and former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. They discussed ways to garner international cooperation to address the issue.
"We will do our best to improve the human rights situations of North Koreans," said Unification Minister Kim Young-ho at the forum.
