N Koreans seek asylum at US mission in China-Yonhap

Seoul, Sep 19 (Reuters) Two North Korean defectors left a South Korean consulate in China and have entered a U S diplomatic mission in the same city seeking asylum, a news agency reported today.

The case marks the second time this year North Korean defectors have left the South Korean consulate in Shenyang and climbed a wall to enter the adjacent U.S. consulate, South Korea's Yonhap news reported, citing diplomatic sources.

Human rights workers said the United States accepted its first batch of North Korean defectors this year and a trickle are now opting for the United States instead of the typical destination of South Korea, which grants almost all North Korean defectors automatic citizenship.

The United States and South Korea were discussing the fate of the defectors, Yonhap said.

Officials from China, South Korea and the United States would not comment on the case.

REUTERS DKA HT1607