The South Korean embassy in Beijing has decided to continue normal consular operations for the time being.

The embassy is currently coordinating with Chinese authorities to address a string of recent incidents involving North Korean defectors barging into diplomatic missions and schools in China to request asylum to South Korea.

The two sides have reportedly agreed that disruptions arising from the defections are not as yet serious enough to merit the suspension of consular business.

The decision implies that the defectors holed up in a Korean school in China are relatively safe for the time being, as officials in Seoul are believed to have been told that Beijing will not forcibly hand over the asylum-seekers to the local police.