26 North Korean Defectors to Arrive Today

Twenty three North Korean asylum seekers who sought refuge in South Korean embassy in China and Won (56), a man who was taken into custody by Chinese authorities, left China on June 23 to travel to South Korea via a third country.

A North Korean couple, who had been holed up in Canadian embassy, also flew to Singapore on the day. The 26 asylum seekers will arrive early Monday at Incheon International Airport.

Seoul and Beijing issued a joint press statement on the deportation of 26 North Koreans, opening the way for them to come to South Korea.

Beijing, however, emphasized that they will deal with North defectors "in accordance with relevant international and domestic laws and in a humanitarian spirit.” It also argued that foreign missions should not be used as a channel for the `illegal’’ exit of North Korean defectors in the future.

The statement came after two sides agreed to express regret over the June 13 incident, in which Chinese security guards trespassed on the South Korean mission, without an official apology from Chinese authorities Seoul initially demanded.

The end of a month-long standoff came as Chio Sung-hong, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, met with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the Asia Cooperation and Dialogue (ACD) held in Thailand on June 19.

Young-Sik Kim spear@donga.com