China urged Canada on Thursday to hand over 44 North Korean asylum seekers who broke into the Canadian embassy in Beijing, promising to deal with the men, women and children in a humanitarian way. Hundreds of asylum seekers from reclusive North Korea have forced their way into embassies and consulates in China since 2002, hoping to secure passage to wealthier South Korea. Nine North Koreans entered the private Shanghai American School earlier this week in another apparent asylum bid, a spokesman for the U.S. embassy said on Thursday, adding that Chinese police were called to remove the group. "We don't know where they are now. But we have urged the Chinese authorities in both Beijing and Shanghai not to return these individuals to North Korea against their will," the spokesman said of the incident, which occurred on Monday. He said the school was privately run and not U.S. property, meaning school authorities could not turn the group over to U.S. officials to arrange for asylum. --More 2216 Local Time 1916 GMT
