Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun says China has suspended repatriation of North Korean escapees as requested by the South Korean government.

Quoting multiple sources in China, the paper reported on Wednesday that Beijing has halted sending North Korean escapees home, although it is not clear when the suspension started.

Yomiuri quoted a Chinese official from Liaoning Province as saying that China repatriated up to 30 North Koreans almost every day after the death of Kim Jong-il in December last year, but it has now stopped the practice.

Another Chinese official reportedly told the paper that Pyongyang did not notify Beijing of its plan to launch a rocket, hinting that China’s frustration over the North’s “lack of consideration” towards its ally led to the suspension of repatriation.