Intelligence authorities are questioning four North Korean defectors who arrived in Seoul after seeking asylum last week at the South Korean embassy in Hungary.

Government sources on Tuesday said the four are a defector who says he worked for a North Korean state-run company and his family.

The Foreign Ministry also said none of the defectors were North Korean diplomats, denying previous reports.

Meanwhile, the North has asked Hungary not to send the defectors to South Korea after finding out their identities.