Seoul: Nearly 30 percent of North Korean defectors who lived in China were found to have registered their sensitive biological data with local security authorities. This revelation was part of a report released Thursday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights conducted a survey from July 2-18 involving 102 North Korean defectors now residing in South Korea. These individuals had previously lived in China between 2013 and 2025, and 29.4 percent reported that their biological data had been registered with China's Public Security Bureau.

The data collected included profile photos, fingerprints from all ten fingers, and information regarding their blood, hair, weight, iris, and voice. Additionally, defectors provided personal information such as places of birth, details about common-law spouses in China, marital status in North Korea, as well as their names, gender, date of birth, and nationality.

The report highlighted that North Koreans were required to submit more extensive biological data compared to Vietnamese or Lao women married to Chinese men for identification registration with public security authorities.

The center expressed concerns over the potential misuse of such personal data, warning that it could be utilized for surveillance or public order control purposes, exceeding its intended administrative function.