A troupe of North Korean artists who defected to the South will hold a rally outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington on Thursday.

The "Pyongyang Art Troupe" says it will denounce Beijing's forced return of North Korean escapees to the North and Pyongyang's human rights violations.

In a phone interview with Seoul-based Yonhap News, chief delegate Ma Young-ae said the group will protest what it sees as the two countries' human rights crimes. Eleven defectors will take part, including kidnap victims who will offer their testimony.

The troupe members arrived in Los Angeles on November 12th and are performing on a U.S. charity tour to help North Korean escapees.