Family members of Koreans forcibly relocated to Sakhalin during Japanese colonial rule can now return permanently to South Korea even after the death of their first-generation relatives.
The Overseas Koreans Agency announced Wednesday that a revised Special Act on Support for Sakhalin Koreans recently passed the Cabinet meeting. The amendment will be promulgated on the 10th and take effect from September 11.
The key change allows second-generation family members to qualify for permanent return even after the death of first-generation Sakhalin Koreans. Previously, the original Sakhalin Korean had to be alive for spouses and children to receive return support as accompanying family members. The policy revision comes as the aging first generation has led to increasing deaths, leaving more second-generation descendants unable to set foot in their ancestral homeland.
Sakhalin Koreans refer to ethnic Koreans who were born in or relocated to Sakhalin by August 15, 1945. Since the permanent return support program began in 1992, 5,690 people had returned by the end of last year, with 3,263 residing in South Korea as of the end of January this year.
"We will carefully ensure that returning compatriots can settle stably in their homeland," said Kim Kyung-hyup, Commissioner of the Overseas Koreans Agency.