South Korea's Ministry of Unification changes name of ”North Korean defectors” to ”Hanamin,” ”Tongilmin,” ”Hokkyomin” and other terms under discussion

It was reported on the 16th that South Korea's Ministry of Unification is commissioning a study to change the legal term "North Korean defectors" from the everyday term "defectors."
The Ministry of Unification held a meeting last month with the Association of North Korean Defectors on the need to change the names of North Korean defectors and defectors and proposed new terms.
The Minister of Unification, Jeong Dong-yeon, in his congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony of the Gyeonggi Unification Plus Center the previous day, explained that the term "North Korean defectors" is a legal term and is used in everyday life.
Minister Chung said, "The word that North Korean defectors dislike the most is the character 'dap,'" and "The word 'defector,' doesn't sound good either."
An official from the Ministry of Unification said, "Regarding the commissioned research into changing the names of North Korean defectors, we are examining realistic and feasible measures, including the need to change the names in social terms as well as legal terms."
Based on the results of the study, the Ministry of Unification plans to present an alternative plan within the year after receiving advice from the Korean Language Institute and collecting opinions from North Korean defectors.
Until now, the terms "North Korean defectors" and "defectors" have had a negative impact within the North Korean defector community.
According to a public opinion survey conducted by the Institute for National Unification and released in July last year, 58.9% of North Korean defectors believe that the legal name "defector residents of North Korea" should be changed.
The majority of defectors who support the name change are against the term "withdrawal" or "defection."
The results were as follows: △Hana residents 27.9%, △Tongil residents 25.9%, △Hokkyo residents 24.2%, △North Korean immigrants 9.3%, and △Others 8.7%.
According to the survey, even among the general public, the terms "North Korean defectors" and "defectors" sound familiar.
The alternatives chosen by ordinary citizens who are not North Korean defectors were △ North Korean residents (33.0%), △ North Korean immigrants (22.7%), △ Hana residents (19.7%), △ Tongil residents (13.8%), and △ So residents (13.8%).
The results showed that 8.4% of the respondents were in favor of the term "Saetmin (residents of the new land)." The Ministry of Unification also proposed the term "Saetmin (residents of the new land)" in 2004, during Minister Chung's first term, but it did not gain support.
It is rarely used in everyday life. An official from the Ministry of Unification said, "The term 'Saetmin' is a new word that is unfamiliar to the ears, and at the time there was a considerable amount of opposition from North Korean defectors, so it did not take root."
On the other hand, terms like "Kitagomin" are already widely used, so if the government proposes them as alternative expressions, they could gain momentum and become the official replacement."