Security was tightened yesterday at the South Korean consulate in Hong Kong after media reports that a North Korean, possibly a student, had sought refuge there.
The North Korean is understood to be a member of a delegation that attended an academic competition at a Hong Kong university two weeks ago, the South China Morning Post said, citing government sources in the territory.
A student who assisted at a maths olympiad held at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said the organizing committee of the competition asked for help on July 16 to track down an 18-year-old North Korean who had gone missing after the contest.
Photo: EPA
The student declined to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the issue. The committee declined comment. The university could not be reached for comment.
Uniformed and plainclothes police were patrolling around the office building near the heart of Hong Kong’s financial center where the South Korean consulate is located. Scores of reporters thronged the building.
Local government and consulate officials declined comment.
“We are aware of the report,” a spokeswoman from the Hong Kong police said, declining to comment further.
The 57th International Mathematical Olympiad was held at the university on July 11 and July 12. An all-male North Korean team of six took part, according to the contest Web site. The team finished in sixth place.
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined comment on the media reports in Hong Kong.
A ministry official said Seoul’s position was not to make any comments related to North Korean defectors, keeping in mind their safety and diplomatic relations with relevant countries.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tensions between North and South Korea have been particularly high since the North’s fourth nuclear test in January.
After an announcement by the South in April that 13 workers at a restaurant in China run by the North had sought asylum, Pyongyang said they were abducted by agents from the South.
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