No decision yet on the fate of 29 North Korean defectors who dashed into a Japanese school in Beijing but Tokyo says it intends to handle the issue from a humanitarian standpoint. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters that he would like to hear what the refugees have to say so that his government can approach the issue on humanitarian grounds. Diplomatic sources say Tokyo has begun negotiating with Seoul and Beijing to grant asylum to the escapees including 11 men, 15 women and three children.

29 North Korean defectors intrude into a Japanese school in Beijing.

The Japanese Embassy in Beijing interviewed those 29 people, and found out that they are believed to be North Korean asylum-seekers. We also confirmed that they wanted to go to a third country. However, it will take a while to officially confirm their identities.

In February, 2003, four North Korean defectors broke into the same Japanese school and were later sent to South Korea via Singapore. But the one thing that could get in the way of smoothly transferring the asylum-seekers to a third country is Japan's ongoing efforts to normalize relations with North Korea.

Though the Japanese prime minister has made clear Tokyo-Pyongyang relations and the latest defection attempt are two separate issues, analysts say Tokyo can only be wary of how the North will react. In addition to normalization talks, Japan and North Korea are also members of the six-nation dialogue aimed at resolving the nuclear tension on the Korean peninsula. The fourth round has been tentatively set for this month but the dates have not been confirmed. Pyongyang recently called off a series of government-level talks with South Korea after Seoul admitted some 460 North Korean refugees in late July.

Arirang TV