Seoul (CNN) The personal information of almost 1,000 North Korean defectors has been stolen after hackers targeted an agency which helped them resettle in South Korea.

Officials said Friday that a computer belonging to the Gyeongbuk Hana Center was "infected with malicious code," enabling hackers to access the information -- including names, birth dates, and addresses -- of 997 defectors.

The center is operated by the Hana Foundation , a non-profit body set up in 2010 by the Unification Ministry to provide "protection and settlement support for North Korean defectors."

About 30,000 defectors are registered as living in South Korea. In the past, prominent defectors have been targeted by the North Korean authorities and families left behind in the North have faced punishment.

"Currently no harm or damage has been observed due to the leak," a Unification Ministry spokesman told CNN. "We have been contacting each defector (to brief them)."

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