A North Korean escapee is likely to come to Seoul with the remains of her father, who is believed to be a former South Korean prisoner of war (POW).

A government official in Seoul said Thursday that negotiations on the repatriation of Paek Jong-kyu's remains had recently been concluded with Chinese authorities and that the deceased would receive honorable treatment.

The official, however, denied to elaborate on the exact timetable for the return of the remains.

A South Korean humanitarian group working for North Korean escapees said it believes that Paek's daughter will be able to come to the South with her father's remains around next month.

Paek's daughter escaped to China in 2002 with the remains of her father, who died in the North in 1997 and had requested in his will that he be buried in his homeland in South Korea.