Busan introduces a program to help North Korean defectors acquire driver's licenses

It is expected that the driver's license acquisition support program for North Korean defectors recently introduced in Busan will contribute to their settlement in the local community.

According to the Busan Hana Center on the 25th, on August 24th, the Busan Hana Center, the Busan Police Agency, and the Busan Southern and Northern Driver's License Test Centers of the Korea Road Traffic Authority signed a business agreement for 'one-stop support for obtaining driver's licenses for North Korean defectors.'

According to the agreement, if you meet the legal support requirements, such as receiving basic livelihood security or receiving support for single-parent families, you only have to pay the driver's license test fee.

Two test centers in Busan operated by the Korea Road Traffic Authority support all processes necessary to obtain a driver's license, including driver's license studies, skills, and road driving education.

This training is tailored to North Korean defectors, taking into account the fact that they are not familiar with the situation in our country.

In the past month, 15 people have been selected for support, and some have already begun training.

Organizations that participated in the agreement noted that the cost of obtaining a driver's license is a significant economic burden for North Korean defectors in the early stages of settlement.

Currently, it is known that obtaining a driver's license costs up to 1.5 million won, including registration at an academy.

Heo Soo-min, director of the Busan Hana Center, said, "North Korean defectors also need a driver's license for employment or movement, but they are often eliminated several times because it is not easy to understand foreign languages ​​and operate machines."

He said, “Inquiries are continuing because education is being conducted with the background of North Korean defectors in mind, and the cost burden has been greatly reduced,” adding, “It will be a great help to those who are experiencing difficulties in the early stages of resettlement.”