SEOUL, The number of North Korean defectors coming to South Korea came to 43 in the first quarter, marking an increase from the same period last year, government data showed Tuesday. After escaping the North, eight men and 35 women arrived in the South in the January-March period, bringing the total number of North Korean defectors to 34,121, according to the data from the unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs. 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 been on a recovery after sharply dwindling in recent years due largely to Pyongyang's strict border lockdowns 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, without providing further details. In recent years, more North Korean defectors picked aspirations for freedom as the No. 1 reason for their escape over food shortages, according to a separate survey by the Korea Hana Foundation, an agency affiliated with the ministry. In 2023, nearly 23 percent of those surveyed said they chose to defect as they were disillusioned with the North's regime, followed by 21.4 percent citing a food crisis. South Korea has a longstanding policy of accepting any North Korean defectors who want to live in the South and repatriating any North Koreans who stray into the South if they want to return. Source: Yonhap News Agency