A South Korean prisoner of war (POW) who was captured by North Korea during the Korean War has recently managed to escape the communist country, but was arrested by Chinese authorities while seeking to enter South Korea.

Sources familiar with the situation in North Korea said on Monday that 72 year-old Han Man-taek managed to cross the Duman River a few days ago and had since been seeking ways to enter the South while staying at a hotel in Jirin Province in China.

However, the sources said that Han was arrested by Chinese authorities and is set to be repatriated to the North.

Meanwhile, an official at the Seoul government confirmed on Monday that there is a South Korean POW who has the name Han Man-taek.

The government estimates that the number of POWs currently living in North Korea is around 537. Among them, a total of 42, including Second Lieutenant Jo Chang-ho who defected to North Korea in 1994, have returned to South Korea.