Eight people claiming to be North Korean asylum-seekers are inside the compound of a German government-run school in Beijing.
The group reportedly climbed over the school fence on Monday afternoon. One member of the group was reported to be a woman.
A spokesman for the German Embassy said that they are trying to check the identities of the group and are negotiating the matter with Chinese authorities.
The incident came on Monday, two days before six-party talks on tensions over the North's nuclear program are to be held in the Chinese capital.
The German school was the target of a series of asylum bids by North Koreans about 18 months ago. In September 2002, a group of 15 men, women and children climbed over the wall and spent the night there before being allowed to leave for South Korea.