February 3, 2026
SEOUL – The dropout rate among students from North Korean defector families reached 2.2 percent in 2024, twice the national average, offering one of the clearest signs yet that South Korea’s education system is failing to integrate them.
New data released Monday shows 4.4 percent of high schoolers from defector households quit school last year, compared with 2 percent in middle schools and 0.5 percent in elementary schools, according to figures obtained by Rep. Kang Kyung-sook of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party.
The nationwide school-leaving rate stood at 1.1 percent.
“The fact that double the percentage of students from North Korean backgrounds are quitting schools, compared to regular students, is a sign that our education system is alienating them,” Kang said.
The data showed that the total number of students born of defector parents was 2,645 in 2024, with the figure generally trending upward from 1,143 in 2009, 2,022 in 2014.
Last year’s figure marked an all-time high of 2,915: 290 were born in North Korea, 1,019 were born in countries outside of the Korean Peninsula, and 1,606 were born here.
Studies show that many students with North Korean backgrounds have difficulty adapting to the South Korean education system, particularly with the difference in school curriculum and language.
Both Koreas use the same language, but the accent, vocabulary and grammar somewhat differ due to the minimal interaction between the two regions since the 1950-53 Korean War.
North Korea is also a dictatorial regime that is cut off from most of the world, making it a very different environment to South Korea.
“The students encounter substantial gaps in adapting to the South Korean education system, exacerbated by differences in private tutoring culture, the critical role of teacher-student relationships in school adaptation, and disparities in language proficiency and academic preparedness,” Kim Ji-hye of the Korean Educational Development Institute said in her 2024 study on students from defector families.
Students were also found to experience ongoing struggles with language development and career explorations, while revisiting the trauma associated with defection and multi-faceted identities, according to the study “Qualitative Research on the Education Experience of Elementary School Students with a North Korean Background.
South Korea’s education authorities have systems on the regional education office level to help such students adapt, including assistance in their basic academic abilities, providing emotional and psychological counseling, and education on basic Korean.
Kang stated that the recent data indicates that students of North Korean backgrounds are having substantial difficulties with the language and overall studying. “We must come up with legislation for customized academic assistance, and reinforce the counseling system,” she said.