North Korean defections to South rise as 43 arrive in Q1, gov't data shows

South Koreans peer across the Imjin River into North Korea from an observatory near the inter-Korean border in Paju, Gyeonggi, on April 14. [YONHAP]

The number of North Korean defectors who successfully reached South Korea came to 43 in the first quarter, marking an increase from the same period last year, government data showed Tuesday.

According to the Unification Ministry, eight men and 35 women arrived in South Korea from the beginning of January to the end of March, bringing the total number of North Korean defectors who have arrived in the South to 34,121.

The latest figure was lower than 57 tallied in the previous quarter but was higher than 34 in the same period a year earlier.

The number of North Korean defectors coming to the South has begun to rise after falling sharply in recent years due largely to Pyongyang’s strict border lockdown to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2023, the number of North Korean defectors who entered the South came to 196 amid a rise in defections by North Korean diplomats and trade officials, nearly tripling from 67 in 2022.

A ministry official said further monitoring is needed to assess overall trends as quarterly figures may vary due to numerous factors, but did not provide further details.

Last year, more North Korean defectors cited a desire for more freedom as their primary reason for escaping, according to a separate survey by the Korea Hana Foundation, an agency affiliated with the Unification Ministry.

In 2023, nearly 23 percent of respondents said they chose to defect due to disillusionment with the North Korean regime, followed by 21.4 percent who cited food shortages.

South Korea has a long-standing policy of accepting any North Korean defectors who want to remain in the South and repatriating any who accidentally crossed the inter-Korean border and want to return.

Yonhap