A Seoul-based broadcaster reports the nine young North Korean escapees recently repatriated from Laos are being detained at a guesthouse near Pyongyang.

Citing a source in the North Korean capital, Free North Korea Radio, a broadcaster targeting North Korea, said Monday that the escapees have been undergoing briefing at Sunan Guesthouse since their arrival last Wednesday.

The source said their arrest was reported to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on May 19th, and the next day he ordered that their custody be secured by all possible means.

The broadcaster said five North Koreans including embassy officials and two security agents sent from Pyongyang were sent on the mission to bring the escapees back to North Korea.