Radio Free Asia reports that 19 North Korean defectors who were arrested in Myanmar last year after illegally entering the country have arrived in South Korea.

Before arriving in nation, the defectors were released into the custody of officials from Thailand after being arrested in December in Myanmar. They were en route to South Korea from China.

The Washington-based, government-funded broadcaster quoted an official working at a defector relief agency in Thailand, saying that three of the defectors left Thailand two weeks ago and the remaining 16 left the country this week.

Earlier this year, Thailand requested that the North cooperate with China to set up preventive measures to stop its defectors from flowing into the Southeast Asian nation.