North Korean escapees at the Hanawon resettlement support center will get together with local residents to make kimchi, the unification ministry said Sunday.

It said the kimjang event to be held on Monday in Hwacheon, 118km northeast of Seoul in Gangwon Province, with be attended by North Korean defectors at Hanawon, local residents and unification ministry officials.

Kimjang is a community-based practice of making and sharing kimchi ahead of the winter months. Kimchi is a fermented vegetable dish that is eaten with almost all Korean meals and in the past was an important way for people to consume vegetables all year round.

The 500 heads of cabbage to be made into kimchi at Hanawon will be shared with some 40 socially disadvantaged households in Hwacheon and other social institutions in the region.

"Through the making of kimchi, the North Korean escapees and local residents can build bonds and a sense of unity that will greatly improve overall social perception of those who escaped the repressive regime," a unification ministry official said.

He said such communal activities can help escapees feel an affinity with locals that can help their assimilation process.

"This is important especially since the number of North Koreans who have escaped the North has exceeded the 30,000 mark," the official said.

South Korea has been trying to help defectors resettle despite certain social prejudices concerning North Koreans. Recently Seoul said they will open more public sector jobs to escapees and provide them with customized training so they can become productive members of society. (Yonhap)