A group of five North Korean defectors currently enrolled in South Korean colleges will visit the United States on a U.S. government-sponsored program reserved, until now, for South Korean students only, a government official said Saturday.

The five North Korean defectors will likely head for the United States next month, according to the official from Seoul's Unification Ministry.

"The U.S. Embassy in South Korea and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology selected the five students in April for the West program," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Under the student exchange program, South Korean students can visit the United States for up to 18 months -- five months of mandatory language programs plus internships up to one year long at U.S. companies, followed by one month reserved for free travels.

Thousands of students have visited or are visiting the United States under the program since its launch in early 2009, but no one originally from North Korea had been offered the chance until now.

"We believe the program will help North Korean defectors get wider experience and better prepare for their future employment," the ministry official said.

"The ministry will consider extending the program to more North Korean defectors," he said, adding there are currently about 850 college students here who defected from North Korea. (Yonhap)