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China and the U.S. have reportedly agreed that four North Korean defectors who barged into the U.S. Consulate in Shenyang after making their way into the South Korean legation will be permitted to leave the country. It is understood that the U.S. has decided to give them asylum.
Sources said Thursday¡¯s secret negotiations were favorable to the defectors, adding Washington would accept the group's request for asylum.
U.S. Ambassador to Korea Alexander Vershbow had earlier denied Internet reports that the U.S. had decided not to grant asylum to the four. Given worries in Beijing that news of the agreement will lead to a flood of defectors to China, the U.S. is considering sending the group to America via a third country.
The case required negotiations because the four North Koreans had already found sanctuary at the South Korean mission when they changed their minds and made a dash for the adjacent U.S. Consulate. The Bush administration was apparently moved that the group, after hearing of the U.S. plans to accept more defectors, scaled the wall to get into the U.S. consulate, and decided that the group would be granted asylum.
The U.S. convinced China by asking the country to consider the special circumstances surrounding this case; it remains unclear what the U.S. will do in future instances where defectors use similar means. China is reportedly beefing up security around the U.S. Consulate. If the four are granted asylum in the U.S., they could inspire others sheltering in South Korean missions in China to make the leap across.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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