Defector in Hong Kong

[Anchor Lead]

Meanwhile, a North Korean national who sought asylum in Hong Kong appears to be a student who had entered the International Mathematical Olympiad held there. The South Korean Consulate in Hong Kong has taken security measures to guard against any retaliation from the North.

[Pkg]

South Korea's Consulate General is located in the Far East Finance Center in Hong Kong. When evening came, operation was halted for all the elevators heading up to the consulate.

[Soundbite] Security Guard : "There is a shutter in front of the door. You can't go inside even if you go up there."

Plain clothes anti-terrorism police officers patrol both inside and outside the building around the clock. They're there to address concerns over possible North Korean terrorist attacks.

[Soundbite] "When was the security strengthened?"

[Soundbite] Plain Clothes Hong Kong Policeman : "I can't tell you. I can't."

The North Korean defector who sought asylum at the South Korean Consulate is presumed to be an 18-year-old student who had participated in the International Mathematical Olympiad. According to an expert in Hong Kong, the student is very likely to be the child of a key party insider or a high-ranking military official, given that he had entered an international competition. Experts also believe that the Pyongyang regime has toughened surveillance on defectors in the Southeast Asian region, one of the traditional escape routes for North Koreans. Hong Kong authorities are therefore concerned that Hong Kong may be emerging as a new defection channel.