The number of children born in third countries to North Korean defectors has been on the rise requiring the expansion of support provided by society, a public foundation in Seoul said Monday.



According to the Korea Hana Foundation, the number of children in South Korea who were born in third countries, like China, reached 1,249 as of 2015, more than the 1,226 kids born in the North who escaped with their parents.



In late 2011 there were 608 children born in third countries before they arrived in the South, which was much smaller than the 1,073 kids who were born in the North and escaped to South Korea. People under the age of 24 are counted in the data.





Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo visits a shelter for North Korean runaways in Seoul and speaks to a family of defectors about their livelihood in South Korea (Yonhap)

The increase reflects the longer average time it takes for defectors to reach South Korea after they escape.



The developments pose complications because under South Korean law, those born abroad fall into a sort of "blind spot."



Seoul has laws that give children born in North Korea various education-related support and favors, such as getting into university, yet there are no legal provisions for those born in transit. These people were never technically North Korean citizens, which poses complications in giving support.



To overcome this shortfall, the government announced a revised program to better help children born in third countries in November 2016. It called for more child care to be given to parents, education-related favors and tuition support.



The Hana Foundation said it too is moving to provide scholarships to such children.



"There is a growing need to give more assistance to children of defectors so they can better assimilate into South Korean society and become productive members," the foundation set up by the unification ministry said. (Yonhap)