The group of mostly men were trying to make their way to South Korea via China and Southeast Asia, an increasingly popular route for North Koreans trying to escape chronic hunger and repression in their communist homeland.

'They were arrested when they entered over the border in eastern Myanmar in early December,' said the official, who did not want to be named as he was not authorised to speak to media.

'As they were arrested in our territory, we are taking action against them under the immigration act,' he told AFP. 'Their main reason (for leaving) was to go to South Korea to meet with their relatives or family members there.'

Many North Koreans cross China and travel through Laos and Myanmar to try and reach more sympathetic countries such as Thailand with the hope of winning eventual resettlement in South Korea.

China repatriates North Korean defectors as economic migrants. The Myanmar police official said he was not sure if the 19 people would be returned and said the North Korean embassy in Yangon had not yet intervened.

Military-ruled Myanmar and hardline communist North Korea, which are both severely criticised internationally for human rights abuses, agreed in April 2007 to restore diplomatic relations.

Myanmar severed ties with Pyongyang in 1983 following a failed assassination attempt by North Korean agents on then-South Korean president Chun Doo-Hwan during his visit to the Southeast Asian nation.

The bombing killed 17 of Chun's entourage including cabinet ministers while four Myanmar officials also died.

Myanmar, which has been ruled by generals since 1962, and North Korea have been branded 'outposts of tyranny' by the United States, which imposes sanctions on both. -- AFP