North Korean teenager ‘seeking asylum’ after escaping Hong Kong maths olympiad

A TEENAGE North Korean defector is reportedly seeking asylum at the South Korean consulate in Hong Kong, where he had been taking part in a mathematics competition.

According to local reports, an unnamed 18-year-old was part of a North Korean delegation that travelled to compete in a mathematics olympiad two weeks ago at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Another student who took part said organisers asked for help on July 16 to track down a North Korean who had gone missing after the contest. South Korea’s foreign ministry declined to comment on media reports and raised security at the consulate. The university could not be reached for comment.

North and South Korea remain technically at war and the reports of a possible defection will exacerbate tensions. About 30,000 North Koreans have defected to South Korea since the Korean War of 1950 to 1953.

Police were patrolling around the office building near the heart of Hong Kong’s financial centre, where the South Korean consulate is located.

Local government and consulate officials also declined to comment.

China, which has authority over Hong Kong’s diplomatic relations, re- patriates North Korean defectors, seeing them as economic refugees, while South Korea tends to grant them asylum, posing a diplomatic challenge.

North Koreans tend to seek asylum in embassies in South East Asia, in countries such as Thailand or Laos, after escaping through China’s northern border and passing through its southern border.

A ministry official said the South Korean government’s position was not to make any comments related to North Korean defectors, keeping in mind their safety and diplomatic relations with relevant countries. China’s Foreign Ministry in Beijing also did not immediately respond for comment.