SHENYANG, China -- A group of 10 North Korean defectors face possible deportation to their communist homeland following their arrest here in China last week, an informed source said Sunday.

The North Korean defectors were apprehended by Chinese police on Saturday, along with an assistance worker who helped arrange their recent defection from North Korea, the source said, adding the North Koreans were set to travel to South Korea.

The incident has been reported to the South Korean Consulate in Shenyang, which in turn requested the Chinese police to handle the case from a humanitarian perspective.

China often deports North Korean defectors back to their homeland under a pact with its communist ally, and those returned to the North are said to face severe punishment, often including torture and public execution. (Yonhap)