The five, formerly held by Laotian immigration authorities for illegal entry, are now under the protection of the South Korean embassy there, Yonhap news agency quoted an unidentified government official as saying.

'They will be brought to South Korea soon,' the official said.

Foreign ministry officials in Seoul were not immediately available for comment.

The ministry confirmed earlier this month that a female North Korean fugitive had died of internal bleeding during medical treatment after being detained in an immigration camp in Laos.

Yonhap said earlier that the 27-year-old woman and her two companions, a couple in their 40s, had feared deportation. It said the couple had attempted suicide by swallowing pieces of iron rather than be sent back and had received hospital treatment.

'Embassy officials contacted the couple and confirmed their intention to settle in South Korea,' the official said. 'We also found three other defectors in Laos who also hope to come to South Korea.'

Tens of thousands of North Korean refugees are believed to be hiding in China, which repatriates those it catches despite the risk they face of harsh punishment.

Some travel on to South-east Asian countries in the hope of eventual resettlement in South Korea.

More than 14,000 North Koreans have come to South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953, the vast majority in recent years. -- AFP