Three 13-year-old girls gave their families the fright of their lives when they fled home hoping to go abroad and reach South Korea to watch a BTS concert.

The three teens, who were not identified, reportedly left their homes in the Karur district of Tamil Nadu, India, on the morning of January 4.

The trio, all pupils of Class 8 in a state-run school, sparked alarms when they failed to show up for class that day.

Their teachers informed their parents of their absence and they were reported missing to local police.

Meanwhile, the girls had already reached the city of Chennai by train, from where they had intended to travel all the way to South Korea and meet the hugely popular Korean k-pop boy band BTS.

Despite having only about INR 14,000 (GBP 132) in their savings, the teenagers thought they could make the trip.

They managed to get a room in a Chennai hotel on Thursday night and hoped to travel to Seoul without passports.

But by Friday, they had exhausted themselves from the adventure and finally decided to take a train back home.

P Vedanayagam, head of the Vellore District Child Welfare Committee said: 'At Katpadi railway station, when they went down at midnight to buy food, they missed the train.

'Police personnel spoke to the children and Child Line authorities and we were alerted.'

The official said the girls were accommodated in a state-run facility and their parents were summoned for a counselling session.

Vedanayagam continued: 'We learnt that the girls knew the minutest details about the BTS band and the stars, the way they dressed and what not. They had bought shoes similar to the ones used by the pop band stars.

'It was very clear to us that they yearned for a life of dance and music.'

'We told the children about the importance of education and its value and advised the parents to keep an eye on what their children do.'

The official added: 'The family background of the children cannot be ignored, too.

'In the case of one girl, it was a single parent. Another girl's father is mentally challenged.

'The mothers of these girls work as farm labourers. They have little or no time to monitor what their children do and what they want.'

The children were reportedly sent back home after counselling on January 6.