The Unification Ministry says the number of North Korean defectors to South Korea since the end of the Korean War surpassed ten-thousand on Friday.

A ministry official said that ten North Korean defectors on Friday arrived in South Korea, bringing the total number to ten-thousand-six.

The annual number of North Korean defectors began to rise after heavy flooding hit the North in 1995.

It surpassed one-thousand for the first time in 2002, breaking the two-thousand barrier last year.

The government plans to revise policies on support for defectors, increasing financial support to help them find jobs and better adapt to South Korean society and reducing initial adjustment packages.