Seoul Plans to Designate July 14 as National Day to Honor North Korean Refugees.

North Korea's border with South Korea. (Wikimedia Commons//Republic of Korea Armed Forces)

JAKARTA - Seoul authorities plan to designate July 14 as a national day to honor North Korean refugees. The initiative is part of a broader effort to raise awareness of human rights issues in North Korea.

Speaking at a meeting of the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion last month, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho said the day would be celebrated as a symbolic day for national unity and hope for a peaceful union with North Korea.

As part of the project for freedom seekers from North Korea, the ministry also plans to set up a memorial to honor those who died trying to escape the regime, Kim added.

"Many of the fleeing North Koreans we met for this project suggested the need to commemorate the victims who did not make it out, saying that they were just lucky to survive," an official told reporters, quoted by The Korea Times, March 20.

If everything goes according to schedule, the ministry will complete the administrative work needed to establish a national day in the coming months, before holding public events for its inaugural celebration this summer.

They plan to do so immediately through an executive order first before seeking National Assembly approval, which could take a long time, officials said.

The announcement follows President Yoon Suk-yeol's directive about two months ago to establish a national day aimed at helping North Korean refugees adapt to their new environment. This direction was made in a Cabinet meeting on January 16.

Meanwhile, the previous month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stated that he would stop pursuing peaceful unification with South Korea.

Ministry officials said one of the goals of the project is to counter Leader Kim's message, by promoting that the Korean Peninsula must one day unite peacefully for the sake of all Korean people.

One of the main considerations regarding this project was, determining the most appropriate day to symbolize its significance. The proposals include February 5, which represents the 25 million people living in North Korea, and February 1, which symbolizes the unification of two different entities into one country.

Ultimately, July 14 was chosen because it was the day that South Korea's first law designed to protect and support North Korean escapees came into effect in 1997.

Officials said they came to that conclusion after speaking with representatives of many North Korean defector groups.

An official English name for the day has not yet been determined. Officials said they would consult with other ministries and human rights groups on the issue before making a decision.