cwemory
Joined: 14 Jan 2006
Location: Gunpo, Korea
|
 Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:19 pm Post subject: 1 Out of 5 N. Korean Defectors Swindled |
 |
|
| Quote: |
1 Out of 5 N. Korean Defectors Swindled
The Korea Times
One-fifth of North Koreans who defected to South Korea have gotten swindled here, according to the Korean Institute of Criminal Justice Policy. The majority of the swindlers were other North Korean defectors.
The report released Tuesday was based on a survey of 214 defectors over 20 years old conducted between July and September.
According to the report, 50 of the 214 polled had been the victims of fraud, theft or burglary. The victims constituted 23.4 percent of the total. Only 4.3 percent of South Koreans report having been the victim of similar crimes.
Most of the defectors who reported the crimes were affected once, but one defector was the victim of eight crimes. The 50 who reported crimes were involved in 91 crimes. Of the 91, 46 involved fraud and 11 involved violence.
The percentage of the victims who fell prey to fraud was 21.5 percent. About 0.5 percent of the South Korean population has reported fraud.
Among the 46 fraud victims, 28.6 percent lost money through a business or investment, 26.6 percent lent money to others and were not paid back and 19 percent gave money to someone who said they would bring the defectors' family in the North to South Korea and didn't do so.
Most of the victims of business-related fraud lost money after investing in multi-level marketing companies. Those who invited the victims to the join the businesses were mainly other North Korean defectors, according to the report.
Six of the eight cases related to bringing relatives here from the North were committed by North Korean defectors.
Those with more education were more subject to fraud. Some 42 percent of defectors with college degrees and 14.1 percent of high school graduates were swindled, but none of those who had elementary school education was a victim of fraud.
Most of the surveyed defectors did not trust people, with 63.9 percent saying they should be wary of others in South Korean society.
``The government has to prepare counseling centers and give more detailed law education to North Korean defectors when they leave Hanawon, a state-run settlement facility for defectors,'' a researcher said. |
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200701/kt2007013018155310160.htm |
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
