Six North Koreans who went missing on their way to Thailand after escaping from China late last year have reportedly re-emerged in a Myanmar court.

Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency, quoting an unidentified source familiar with Northeast Asian affairs, said Monday that the six North Korean asylum-seekers were put on trial by a local court last Thursday after being indicted for illegally entering the Southeast Asian country.

Yonhap said there was no word on the whereabouts of a Korean-American pastor, the Rev. Jeffrey Park, who reportedly led the group in their escape from China.

Meanwhile, the South Korean Embassy in Myanmar is reportedly seeking to repatriate the group to South Korea.

The military junta in Myanmar has long faced international criticism for its record of human rights abuses and political oppression.