The unification ministry says 76 North Korean defectors entered the country in the third quarter of this year.

The ministry announced Tuesday that 12 men and 64 women from the North entered South Korea in the third quarter, raising the total number of defectors so far this year to 181.

In contrast, only 40 North Koreans defected in the same period last year.

The figure for the first quarter of 2024 was 43, and for the second quarter it was 62, with the ministry giving no reason for the seasonal increase. 

As of the third quarter of 2024, the total number of North Korean defectors who have arrived in South Korea since the 1950s stands at 34-thousand-259.