Seven North Koreans have entered Thailand's embassy in Vietnam seeking asylum.
Embassy officials say the three men and four women entered the outpost Wednesday carrying handwritten messages asking for asylum. The refugees speak no English or Vietnamese.
A growing number of North Koreans have escaped the chronic food shortages and repression prevalent in their isolated homeland. Many have sought refuge in embassies in foreign countries, mainly in China.
South Korea airlifted more than 460 North Korean refugees out of Vietnam in July of last year. The operation enraged Pyongyang and led to a freeze in inter-Korean talks.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.