South Korea on Tuesday approved measures reducing the maximum period that recent defectors can be interrogated by intelligence services to 90 days, the Ministry of Unification (MOU) announced.

North Korean defectors who arrived in the South must undergo joint interrogation by South Korean authorities before being transferred to the settlement support center known as Hanawon.

The screening process, which involves several ministries but is led by the National Intelligence Service (NIS), can continue for up to 180 days, according to the North Korean Refugees Protection and Settlement Support Act.

Tuesday’s decree will limit the period of interrogation and “provisional protective measures” to