Only 43 North Korean defectors entered South Korea in the first quarter of this year, according to data from the Unification Ministry, underscoring how Pyongyang’s tightened border controls continue to suppress defections.

The arrivals consisted of two men and 41 women, according to figures posted on the ministry’s website, though officials declined to say how many were minors or whether they had spent time in third countries, such as China, before reaching South Korea.

The first-quarter figures mark a slight increase from the 38 arrivals in the same period last year and are unchanged from the 43 recorded in