Beijing, Oct 06: South Korea's consulate in the Chinese capital will close for business indefinitely because it is housing too many North Korean refugees to continue operating smoothly, a South Korean diplomat said today. The South Korean diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters that the closure will take effect tomorrow. She couldn't say how long the office would be shut, nor would she say exactly how many North Korean asylum-seekers were inside. The move means that anyone in China seeking a visa to South Korea is out of luck for the immediate future. “The number of North Korean refugees who are staying within the inside of the consulate is beyond our capacity,” the diplomat said in a telephone interview. “So it makes it difficult to do our consular jobs.” The South Korean embassy has been at the nexus of a delicate diplomatic dance involving China and North Korean asylum-seekers who use embassy compounds in Beijing to escape the harsh rule of Kim Jong Il's government in the north.
Bureau Report