Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao Friday said Chinese police arrived quickly at the ROK Embassy after receiving a call reporting the case from its consulate on Thursday.

The ROK side has allegedly accused the Chinese police of forcefully removing the intruder from the ROK Embassy and beating two diplomats and an ROK journalist during the scuffle, saying it violated international law.

Liu pointed out that the Chinese police were trying to protect the consulate at the request of the ROK, and the policemen had shown maximum patience before taking measures to apprehend the person after repeated warnings were ignored.

After the incident on May 23, when several unidentified persons broke into the ROK consulate in China, the ROK side has clearly expressed that it does not want to see such unidentified personnel enter its consulate or embassy in China, the spokesman said.

"They have been seeking help from the Chinese side to prevent such things happening again through various diplomatic channels on various occasions," Liu said.

Several ROK diplomats abused their diplomatic privileges and brazenly blocked Chinese security personnel from carrying out their duties, Liu said, noting their behavior was extremely incompatible with their capacity as diplomats.

"(To this) China expresses its strong dissatisfaction," Liu said.

He said past intrusions by several people, who illegally entered China from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), into foreign missions were incited and planned by some ROK individuals and organizations.

"Despite China's goodwill, the ROK side continues to adopt a policy of encouraging and abetting ... China finds it deeply regrettable," Liu said, noting China's social order and security are under threat.

Liu urged the ROK side to hold an objective perspective on the facts and handle the case properly on the basis of the friendly relations between the two countries.

(China Daily June 15, 2002)