CHINA called yesterday for a solution to the crisis over a North Korean official in Seoul's mission in Beijing, hinting for the first time the senior ideologue had sought refuge of his own free will.
In the first mention in its domestic media of the Cold War drama unfolding in its capital, China indicated that Hwang Jangyop, a senior aide to North Korea's top leader Kim Jong-il, had willingly sought refuge in Seoul's consular compound.
"After his arrival in Beijing on February 11th, Hwang stayed at the [North Korean] embassy in Beijing," the Xinhua news agency said, quoting sources at the foreign ministry.
"He left there in the morning of the following day and ran away into the embassy of [South Korea] in Beijing," it said in a report broadcast on state radio.
Pyongyang, which previously maintained Hwang was kidnapped, has hinted it may be ready to give up attempts to win back the man ranked 24th in the North's hierarchy and the designer of its governing ideology of Juche, or strict self reliance.
Xinhua hoped "the relevant parties will, with a calm and objective attitude, judge the nature of this incident and work to seek a proper solution to it".
Hwang remained stranded in Seoul's heavily guarded consular compound after talks between South Korean and Chinese officials failed to resolve his fate despite signs that Pyongyang was willing to soften its stance.
"Unfortunately, we have not made any real progress in our talks with China," South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Lee Kyu hyung said of moving Hwang, who took refuge in the embassy last Wednesday.
Beijing is now an unwilling third party in the drama but hopes the two Koreas can sort out the problem. Officials in Seoul have said such a solution is impossible.
"We are telling the Chinese that there's no dialogue channel and it is impossible to resolve a sensitive defection issue in direct talks with the North," said a foreign ministry official.
South Korean officials in Beijing said talks with Chinese officials were continuing but declined to comment on their content, saying only that a solution was likely take some time.
"But with North Korea changing its attitude, we hope there will be progress in our negotiations," the official said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong il appeared to indicate Pyongyang's less hardline approach when he was quoted by state radio on Tuesday as saying "cowards" should get out.
Pyongyang said it would take strong action if it turned out Hwang was kidnapped but would fire him if he had turned traitor on his Stalinist homeland, a foreign ministry statement said.
China appeared nervous about Pyongyang's intentions, sending three armoured personnel carriers, a crowd control truck and armed police to guard the sedate streets around the mission while officials seek an end to the impasse.