A self-proclaimed North Korean on Tuesday was turned around from a German school in Beijing where he had been seeking asylum. The 34-year-old man identified as Yoon Ung-joo was among six people claiming to be North Korean asylum-seekers who dashed into the German government-run school earlier in the day.

Yoon reportedly fled to a safe place without being captured by Chinese police. In a telephone interview with Seoul-based Yonhap news agency, he said a German Consul told him to leave the school, saying his North Korean identity could not be confirmed.

The South Korean Embassy in Beijing expressed regret at Yoon's expulsion from the school, saying the German mission should have checked his documents.

Reports from Beijing said the man had entered the same school in February requesting asylum to South Korea, but his request was rejected because he could not confirm his identity as a North Korean escapee. Yoon reportedly sneaked into his home in North Korea and escaped back to China in May with his identification card with photos.