South Korea’s Ministry of Unification (MOU) on Friday said it was considering dispatching additional staff to China’s border with North Korea to prevent Beijing’s continued forced repatriation of escapees.

The government was seeking to make sure North Korean defectors would “under no circumstances” be sent home against their will, the ministry said.

In response to unverified media reports that thirty escapees were arrested in China following a recent visit by DPRK leader Kim Jong Un to the country, Baik Tae-hyun, a spokesperson for the unification ministry, said Seoul would always seek to ensure the safety of North Korean defectors.

The spokesperson,