hankyoreh

The number of North Korean defectors to South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War exceeded 10,000 on Friday, the South's Unification Ministry said.

"Ten North Korean defectors arrived in South Korea today, brining the total number to 10,006," the ministry said in a statement.

After heavy floods hit the North in the mid-1990s, the annual number of North Korean defectors reached double digits, and in 1999 the number swelled to a triple-digit level. In 2006, as many as 1,578 defectors arrived in the South, a rise from the previous record of 1,139 in 2002, according to government data.

In a bid to increase support for North Korean defectors who are trying to adapt to its society, South Korea plans to nearly double the amount of cash incentives for North Korean defectors after they are employed for one year.

Under the plan, the government will grant a total of 15 million won (US$16,040) to defectors over a three-year period after they are registered on an employer's payroll for one year. Previously, defectors received 9 million won over three years.

Since 2005, South Korea has reduced its cash payment to defectors to 10 million won per household and implemented an incentive system that rewards people for employment and adaptation.

In the new plan, given the rise in rental fees, the housing subsidy will be increased to 13 million won per household from the current 10 million won, while the cash subsidy will be further cut to 6 million won.

The inter-Korean land border is sealed and defended by a combined total of nearly two million troops deployed by the two Koreas.

In 2000, the leaders of the two Koreas held the first-ever summit since the end of the Korean War. The war ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, meaning the two Koreas are still technically in a state of war.

Seoul, Feb. 16 (Yonhap News)