North Korean asylum seekers arrive in Manila

(17 Mar 2002)
1. Wide shot China Southern Airlines plane taxiing at Manila airport
2. Airport ground crew waiting
3. Tight shot "China Southern" name on plane
4. Wide shot plane
5. Close-up cockpit
6. Airport ground crew attending to plane
7. Wide shot Philippines National Security Adviser Roilo Golez emerging after going inside plane
8. Cutaway photographer
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Roilo Golez, Philippines National Security Adviser:
"The 25 North Koreans are going to be allowed to stay here for maximum three days, after which they'll be going to South Korea. This has been arranged already. It's O-K with the President, with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Vice President and Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and everything has been arranged already."
10. Wide shot of North Korean defectors emerging from landing gate
11. Panning shot of North Korean defectors running to escalator
12. Defectors going up
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Roilo Golez, Philippines National Security Adviser:
"You know, these people are under distress right now. They just left their country, they defected from their country, so we have to respect that. There are six families, I understand, and there are some children there."
14. Group of journalists waiting inside airport.
STORYLINE:
North Korean asylum-seekers who sought refuge in the Spanish Embassy in Beijing, and threatened suicide if sent back to their communist homeland, arrived in the Philippines on Friday, bound for capitalist South Korea.
The United Nations' refugee agency thanked China and Spain for quickly resolving the plight of the 25 asylum-seekers.
On Thursday, the North Koreans had flooded past Chinese guards and into the Spanish embassy, in a dash for freedom.
Upon their arrival in the Philippines, journalists were not allowed to approach or speak to the group of asylum-seekers, which consisted of men, women, and children said to be as young as 10.
The Philippines has invited them to stay for a maximum of three days, but airport officials said the North Koreans were expected to leave for Seoul on Saturday.
A South Korean deputy foreign minister, Lee Tae-sik, confirmed that his government was trying to bring the asylum seekers there.
The asylum-seekers left Beijing an hour after Premier Zhu Rongji, at a nationally televised news conference, said his government had found a solution to what could have been a lengthy diplomatic snarl.
The asylum-seekers had asked to be allowed to go to South Korea, saying they might be killed if sent home.
Some said they were carrying rat poison to kill themselves if they were returned to North Korea.
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[@reyllanos6891]

Kawawa talaga Ang mga Taga north Korea 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭👃

[@NewKyro]

For Those Who Dont Know Manila Is The Capital Of 🇵🇭Philippines🇵🇭

[@tumao_kaliwat_napulo]

Wow! Ganun pala... alam ko rin sa wakas...

[@dwayne2293]

Ako din ngayun ko lang nalaman hahahaha