A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said Monday a group of four North Korean teenagers who entered the British Consulate General in Shanghai last week have requested asylum in the United States.

The spokesman said the Foreign Office and the Chinese government are cooperating closely to resolve the issue.

According to a diplomatic source, the group, composed of two males and two females aged between 15-18, reportedly hid out in China for the last three years after escaping harsh conditions in the North.