A Japanese daily says a growing number of North Korean soldiers are fleeing the communist state.

The Asahi Shimbun said Friday that food shortages are likely to have driven many North Korean soldiers to escape their homeland.

The paper noted that in the past, North Korean soldiers rarely fled from the North, as they enjoyed better living conditions than ordinary citizens given Pyongyang’s emphasis on national defense.

The report also noted that the North’s economy has been struggling since the end of last November due to Pyongyang’s failed currency reform. Partly due to such economic difficulties, the daily said that the nation’s food supply has become inadequate.

The paper said that mounting tension on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of the “Cheonan” naval incident and the fear of a war breaking out have also played parts in many North Korean soldiers’ decision to flee the nation.

The paper noted that in one region bordering China, more than five soldiers were apprehended in May and were forcibly sent back home.