North Korean residents have filed a lawsuit seeking to inherit property from their late father in South Korea.

In a suit filed with the Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday, four plaintiffs living in North Korea sought their shares in inheritance from their father, whose second wife inherited his ten billion won worth of property after his death.

The father, identified only by his surname Yoon, had a wife and four children in North Korea, before fleeing to South Korea with his eldest daughter during the Korean War.

After marrying another woman in South Korea, Yoon fathered four more children. Yoon died in 1987, and his second wife inherited his property worth ten billion won.

Legal circles hold the view that a North Korean resident is entitled to stand before a South Korean court.