A South Korean lawmaker protests in Seoul Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Chinese analysts urged South Korea to take international regulations and diplomatic terms into consideration when handling North Korean nationals who cross the China-North Korea border.

South Korean foreign ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae Tuesday said, "we plan to bring the issue of North Korean defectors held in China to the attention of the UN Human Rights Council," the Yonhap News Agency reported.

Seoul said at least 10 North Koreans were reportedly caught by Chinese authorities this month in Shenyang and await repatriation to the North.

Cho said South Korean diplomats are scheduled to address the issue during the UN refugees meeting in Geneva next week.

South Korea's move aims to put more pressure on China through the international community, Cai Jian, a deputy director of the Center for Korean Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times.

Except the consideration of humanitarianism, South Korea's government and people need to pay more attention to international laws in regard to the so-called defectors and diplomatic relations between China and North Korea, Cai added.

The move came as a series of protests, launched by South Korean rights groups, in front of the Chinese embassy in Seoul, called on China not to repatriate North Korean detainees.

Many North Korean nationals have illegally crossed the border to get into China since the 1990s, mainly for economic and political reasons, Wang Junsheng, a Korean affairs expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Different backgrounds and purposes have made the group of people even more complex, which could cause security problems in the Northeast China.

In handling these people, China has followed international regulations and principles, Wang said, adding that granting status to these people will also cause diplomatic conflicts.

In another development, North Korea's delegation led by First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan arrived Tuesday in Beijing for talks on nuclear issues with the US.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a press conference Tuesday, "we hope the dialogue will pave the way for the start of the Six-Party Talks."

Agencies contributed to this story