North Korea has returned a South Korean corpse along with six South Korean men through the truce village of Panmunjeom. 

A government official said Friday that the North sent six South Korean men across the border along with the deceased wife of one of the men.

The official said the authorities will conduct further investigation into the case, although North Korea explained that the woman was killed by her husband in the North.

Meanwhile, the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported the return of the six South Korean men about an hour after their arrival at Panmunjeom, saying Pyongyang decided to send the illegal entrants to the South on humanitarian grounds.

The six men were arrested upon arrival and are now being questioned on how and when they entered the North and if they entered voluntarily. They could be prosecuted for violating the National Security Law if it’s discovered they voluntarily entered North Korea without government approval.