The head of a private U.S. organization for the promotion of democracy says North Korean defectors could be a valuable asset in the process of integrating North Koreans, should reunification take place.

National Endowment for Democracy (NED) President Carl Gershman said Tuesday at the South Korean embassy in the U.S that it is difficult to predict when a potential collapse of the North Korean regime might take place, but the time has come to prepare for such a scenario.

Gershman said that about 16-thousand North Korean defectors could contribute to effective change by functioning as a link between South and North Koreans.