[News Today] Hanawon modernizes defector training

[LEAD]

There's a place North Korean defectors must pass through before settling in South Korea.

It's Hanawon, the government's resettlement support facility.

But with fewer arrivals and changing conditions, its operations are now evolving as well.

[REPORT]

Designed to help North Korean defectors settle in South Korea, a beauty class is in full swing.

Do you know Kim Go-eun from 'Guardian'? She's summer mute.

As they learn K-beauty techniques, including the makeup styles of famous actors, a new dream begins to take shape.

North Korean defector /

When I was in North Korea, I liked to dress up. I want to run my business.

Barista license courses are also popular.

When water inflow equals outflow.

They learn to distinguish types of coffee beans by scent. They focus on brewing coffee with care.

Even the rules of daily life at Hanawon are changing.

Smartphone use, previously prohibited for defectors’ personal safety and due to Hanawon’s status as a state security facility, has been permitted since January.

Security concerns were addressed by opening multiple lines under the agency's name.

Now, the North Korean defectors are able to connect with family members who settled earlier and look up policies they want to learn more about.

Yoo Beom-gon / Hanawon

Some said they really like it, as they can now freely make personal calls, something that was difficult before.

The annual number of North Korean defectors arriving in South Korea once reached 3,000. But it has plunged to hover around the 200 level in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and North Korea's border closures.

In response, the Ministry of Unification merged Hanawon's main center and branches earlier this year and has launched a full-scale operation reform.