The Unification Ministry said Tuesday that its proposed budget stands at 1.55 trillion Korean won (US$1.17 billion), down 3.7 percent from this year. However, the proposal includes a 50-percent increase in the initial lump-sum payment given to North Korean defectors to help them settle and adapt to their new life in South Korea.
The proposal, approved by the Cabinet, still requires parliamentary approval.
Once approved, the amount will increase from the current 10 million won per person to 15 million won, seeing a steady rise over the past three years.
A ministry official, who requested anonymity, said that the proposal reflects President Yoon Suk Yeol's vision for reunification between the two Koreas, as outlined in his Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15.
South Korea maintains an open-door policy for North Korean defectors seeking freedom and wishing to live in the South, with over 34,000 currently residing in the country. After a sharp decline during the coronavirus pandemic, their influx is slightly picking up recently due to ongoing food scarcities and political repression in the isolated country.
The ministry's budget also includes more humanitarian aid to North Korea and additional funding for reunification-related education in schools. However, budgets for inter-Korean economic projects have been reduced amid ongoing tensions between the two Koreas.
