The U.S. State Department is reportedly considering ways to designate North Korean asylum-seekers as a Priority Two (P-2) group for U.S. resettlement processing.

Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, Arthur Dewey, said in a news briefing in Washington Wednesday that the U.S. is preparing to render such a designation if deemed necessary.

However, Dewey was quick to add that the most appropriate solution to the issue of North Korean asylum-seekers would be for them to settle in South Korea, citing the South Korean Constitution's recognition of North Korean citizens as Korean nationals.

It is the first time for Washington to say it would consider designating North Korean escapees as a Priority Two group. So far, Washington has designated North Koreans seeking asylum in the U.S. as Priority One refugees who are referred for resettlement by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees or a U.S. Embassy.

Priority Two is for specific groups within certain nationalities who are of special concern to the United States.