The South Korean Embassy in Beijing on Friday issued an advisory warning to its citizens living in or traveling to China to avoid eating at North Korean restaurants, citing "concerns about safety."
South Korea's Foreign Ministry told its citizens this week not to visit North Korean restaurants around the world, following the North's latest nuclear test and rocket launch.
"As inter-Korean relations have rapidly deteriorated in the aftermath of North Korea's Jan. 6 nuclear test and Feb. 7 launch of a long-range missile, concerns about the safety of our citizens in China are growing," the embassy said in a statement.
"Those who are living in or traveling to China need to refrain from visiting North Korean restaurants or North Korea-related facilities," the statement said.
North Korea is estimated to have operated about 100 restaurants in China.
South Korea and the U.S. have pushed for a strong and more effective sanctions resolution at the U.N. Security Council against North Korea's latest nuclear test and launch of a long-range rocket.
Still, the Security Council has been struggling in negotiations to come up with a new sanctions resolution on North Korea, because China has been reluctant to impose harsh measures on Pyongyang. (Yonhap)