Chinese authorities have arrested some 60 North Korean escapees during a raid on a safe house outside of Beijing.

According to sources in China, security officials have taken into police custody 65 North Korean escapees and two officials of an organization that allegedly supports North Korean asylum-seekers.

The sources said the North Koreans were arrested during a raid on a house located on the eastern outskirts of Beijing on Tuesday night.

Chinese authorities suspect that the group of North Koreans was planning to seek asylum in South Korea after gaining entry into foreign diplomatic missions in the Chinese capital.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned in an official briefing that it would strictly punish members of organizations supporting North Korean escapees and would not tolerate the entrance of North Korean asylum-seekers into diplomatic missions.