Seoul: Humanitarian aspects should be considered in handling legal issues involving remittances sent by North Korean defectors to their families back home, the unification ministry said Tuesday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, a unification ministry official emphasized the need for a balanced approach between legal and humanitarian considerations after a Seoul court recently acquitted a person accused of brokering remittances from North Korean defectors to their families in the North. The court's decision highlighted the current tension between legal frameworks and humanitarian needs.

The defendant was among several North Korean defectors charged with violating the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act for facilitating remittances to North Korea during former President Yoon Suk Yeol's government. Previously, such remittances were largely tolerated as long as they did not pose security risks.

"Money sent by defectors to their families in North Korea often amounts to nothing more than living expenses. Under the current situation, where there is no law regulating this, some defectors had been indicted under the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act," the official explained. This statement reflects a broader governmental reconsideration of policies under President Lee Jae Myung's administration, which appears to be shifting towards a more lenient stance on defectors' remittances.