Around 36 percent of the respondents said they wished to receive more medical support from the government, while 7.6 percent also expressed the need for psychological help due to traumatic experiences their endured while making their escape from the North.

A local foundation supporting defectors' settlement said females are more likely to have weakened health as they experienced pregnancy in the North amid poor medical facilities and malnutrition.

"The health issue is standing as a major hurdle for the defectors' economic activities," Sim said, adding the government must take more active steps to reorganize existing support systems. (Yonhap)