About 20 North Koreans being held at a Thai immigration detention center will come to South Korea by next week at the latest.

The South Korean Embassy in Bangkok said Friday that the North Koreans whose departure has been postponed will be allowed to travel to South Korea in two groups and that it is trying to help other North Koreans who seek asylum in the South.

The Associated Press quoted a South Korean activist working to help North Korean escapees as saying that ten North Koreans would be flown to Seoul late Friday Thai time and 15 more on Saturday.

But the South Korean Embassy denied the report, without giving the exact number of North Koreans to leave for Seoul or their departure dates.

The North Korean escapees' exit was postponed due to Thai immigration authorities' refusal to issue approval for their departure.

About 400 North Korean escapees began fasting Tuesday, demanding better treatment and an early departure for South Korea. But they ended their three-day fast Thursday after Thai immigration authorities pledged not to repatriate them to Pyongyang and to send them to Seoul soon.

One hundred of the 414 North Korean detainees are known to be men.