The staffers at Libya’s diplomatic mission in Seoul, which has been closed since June, are known to be staying at the Libyan Embassy in Beijing.

An official at the Foreign Ministry made the announcement Wednesday, adding that the staffers are expected to return to Seoul soon.

The officials closed the mission and left Seoul in the wake of a diplomatic row between Libya and South Korea that resulted from Libya’s deportation of a South Korean intelligence official on charges of espionage in June.