The government will provide additional assistance to more than 500 North Korean defectors deemed to be facing harsh living conditions here. The person is the photo is unrelated to the story. Gettyimagesbank

South Korea will provide additional assistance to more than 500 North Korean defectors deemed to be facing harsh living conditions, the unification ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry said it conducted two rounds of surveys on the living conditions of North Korean defectors last year and found that a total of 553 of them need additional support to ease hardship in making ends meet.

Dire living conditions for some North Korean defectors came into the spotlight after a 42-year-old defector and her 6-year-old son were found dead in their apartment apparently due to starvation. The ministry did not provide details on how much and in what forms the help will be granted to the defectors.

North Korean defectors receive settlement support usually for five years from their arrival in the South, which includes helping them get homes, jobs and education.