North Korea says it will return home six detained South Koreans at around 4:30 p.m. Friday.
 
A Unification Ministry official said Thursday that Pyongyang notified Seoul of its plans in a message sent under the name of the chief of the North’s Red Cross.
 
The message said all six are men, and it’s not known if they willingly entered the North and when and how they got there. Among the six men, four are likely to be people North Korea said it investigating for illegal entry in February 2010.
 
The ministry official also said Seoul is relieved Pyongyang has decided to return the South Koreans on the humanitarian grounds.
 
Observers believe the North decided to send back the six South Koreans after assessing they have no value in terms of intelligence and propaganda.
 
The government has confirmed that the six men are indeed South Korean citizens and plans to investigate how they entered the North when they are handed over on Friday.