A North Korean woman is seeking to defect to South Korea after living in Russia as a refugee for more than 20 years. 

The Justice Ministry said on Thursday that the woman, identified as a 64-year-old with the family name Lee, arrived at Incheon International Airport late last month. 

She claims she fled the North, showing immigration officials her North Korean passport along with a temporary refugee travel certificate issued in Russia. 

A ministry official said the government allowed her to enter the country based on laws that principally consider North Korean nationals as South Koreans. 

The government will launch a process soon to decide whether to grant her South Korean nationality.