The government is set to allow North Korean defectors to work as experienced public servants in an effort to better embrace them as members of society, the Ministry of Security and Public Administration said Tuesday.

According to a revision of related rules endorsed by the Cabinet, the government can hire North Korean defectors or naturalized citizens from overseas who have working experience in their home countries or hold a degree as civil servants.

After a resume screening, the applicants will be interviewed, while being exempt from written examinations required for their South Korean counterparts, according to the ministry.

The revision will come into effect on April 23, the ministry added.

Though the Unification Ministry’s guidelines allow government agencies to hire the defectors under special recruitment programs, up until now they have been holding lower-ranking, technical positions as their working experience and education back home are not taken into account.

Currently, 14 people from the North work for Seoul’s central government agencies.

“The revision paves the way for more North Korean defectors to join the civil service. It is expected to support them financially and to help them better adapt to the society,” said a Security and Public Administration Ministry official.

“To prevent possible attempts of security breaches, the unification ministry will take steps to verify their past experiences and qualifications.”

The procedure was devised in the wake of a case in February where a 33-year-old defector-turned-official working for the Seoul Metropolitan Government was indicted on charges of carrying out espionage activities for the communist regime by handing over information on some 200 defectors living in Seoul to Pyongyang’s spy agency.

A total of 24,934 North Koreans have defected from their home country and settled in the South in search of economic and political freedom. (Yonhap News)