A South Korean military officer held as a prisoner of war in North Korea arrived in Seoul Saturday after escaping the North in June.

The 78-year-old "Jang" fled to China on June 14th and requested safe passage to Seoul at the South Korean consulate general in Shenyang, China in early July.

Jang was a first lieutenant when he was captured by the communist Chinese army and taken to the North during the 1950-53 Korean War. He worked as a welder in North Hamgyeong Province, married at 30 and has five sons and a daughter in the North. He attempted a failed escape in 2003.

Upon finishing ongoing treatment at a military hosptal in Seongnam, a southern surburb of Seoul, Jang will be questioned on the details of his escape by South Korean authorities.

The last time a South Korean officer-level POW escaped from the North was in 1994.