The Canadian government says it will for the time being maintain its custody of a group of North Koreans who broke into the Canadian Embassy in Beijing.

Montreal's remarks are an apparent response to Beijing's calls on Thursday that the Canadian Embassy hand over to Chinese authorities the 44 North Korean defectors who dashed into the foreign mission after climbing over the fence of the compound.

Reports in Seoul said the North Koreans, including six children, want safe passage to South Korea, but the reports could not be independently confirmed.

This week's dramatic entry comprised one of the largest group of North Koreans ever to enter at one time into a diplomatic compound in the Chinese capital.

The number of northern defectors to South Korea has been rising in recent years, reaching almost one thousand-300 in last year alone.