A diplomatic standoff has ended in Beijing over the fate of 25 North Korean asylum seekers who had taken refuge in the Spanish embassy.
 
 

AP
North Korean asylum seekers celebrated Thursday after entering the Spanish embassy in Beijing

 Later a Philippines official (Foreign Undersecretary Franklin Ebdalin) said the refugees would be flying to Manila Friday aboard China Southern Airlines flight and would leave early Saturday for Seoul on a Korean Airlines flight.

 The official said South Korea had asked, if the North Koreans could stay in Manila until Monday, but that the Phillipine government refused. He said Manila wanted to keep good relations with both Koreas. 

The North Koreans, including children, rushed past Chinese guards into the Spanish embassy Thursday. They threatened to kill themselves rather than be returned to their homeland. 

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman (Zhang Qiyue) said China did not consider the North Koreans refugees.

 China's policy has been to treat fleeing North Koreans as economic migrants who should be sent home, not political refugees entitled to protection. 

The latest defection from North Korea, one of the largest in recent memory, put China in a difficult position. Beijing maintains good relations with both its old communist ally, North Korea, and its key economic partner, South Korea.

 Last year, a family of seven North Koreans walked into a United Nations office in Beijing, seeking asylum. After days of negotiation, the family was allowed to travel to a third country and then on to South Korea.
 
 

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.

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