The Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said eight North Korean refugees arrived safely at the South Korean consulate in Qingdao, China.

A ministry official said diplomatic efforts in Seoul and Beijing allowed the consulate to take in the refugees, who had stormed into a international Korean school in Qingdao.

In Seoul, Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan expressed the government's concern over the matter to Chinese Ambassador to Seoul Ning Fukui.

In Beijing, the South Korean Embassy urged the Chinese government to treat the refugees humanely.

The ministry official said Seoul will identify the refugees and try to meet their requests through negotiating with Beijing.