China is sending home some ten South Korean residents who are at risk for abduction or other acts of terrorism by North Korean agents, and five have already left, the South's foreign ministry said.
The temporary evacuation was recommended by Chinese police who obtained intelligence about North Korea's possible attacks on South Korean residents, the ministry said, citing growing safety concerns in areas bordering North Korea.
At the request of Chinese security authorities, five residents have returned home while the other five will follow suit, a ministry official said.
On Wednesday, South Korea's consulate in Shenyang, the capital of China's northeast Liaoning Province, issued a warning that tensions caused by North Korea's nuclear and missile threats could jeopardize the safety of South Korean residents there.