Wong met Monday with three South Korean parliamentarians who came to Hong Kong seeking to get the charges against 11 countrymen dropped.

"We informed the secretary that we are concerned that if the trial is extended, there will be negative effects on the citizens of Hong Kong and Korea, as well as on the bilateral relations between the two nations," said Kwon Young Ghil, president of the minor leftist Democratic Labor Party.

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"If the process becomes elongated, there could be implications for the smooth relations between the two countries, and it might become an international issue as well."

But Wong, who said he had agreed to meet with the visiting officials "out of courtesy," remained unmoved.

"As in all other cases, this case will be handled objectively and fairly, and resolved without fear or favor as soon as practicable," he said.

Kwon said overall he and his colleagues - peasants' movement activist Kang Ki Kab and traders' movement activist Dan Byung Ho - were satisfied with what they called a "deep and sufficient dialogue," something Wong later countered, insisting no dialogue had taken place.

"I have listened carefully to their concerns," he said. "I did not engage in any discussion or negotiation on the case, although I did explain to them that under Article 63 of the Basic Law, the Department of Justice shall control criminal prosecutions free from any interference."

The parliamentarians are the only South Korean politicians to come to Hong Kong over the case since South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Lee Kyu Hyung arrived a day after the riots to apologize for his countrymen's unruliness and appeal for leniency.

Meanwhile, 70 protesters, mostly from local groups, marched from Chater Gardens to the SAR Government Headquarters on Lower Albert Road Monday to deliver a petition letter demanding that the 14 detained protesters be allowed to return home.

In addition to the 11 Koreans, a Japanese, a mainlander and a Taiwanese face charges relating to the riot that broke out on the night before the final day of the WTO meetings.

Only the Taiwanese - a student - was allowed to go home to resume his studies. The rest are out on bail but must remain in Hong Kong.

The march took place a day after South Korean peasant unions threatened to send more than 1,000 farmers to Hong Kong for a mass protest from January 20 to 22 if their countrymen are not released following a court hearing scheduled tomorrow.

The threat came after members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and Korean Peasants League gathered in front of the Star Ferry pier in Kowloon, where the Korean and the Japanese accused have been staging a hunger strike since last Thursday.

The Hong Kong People's Alliance on the WTO, which coordinated the protests and has been working closely with the Korean farmers, has yet to commit to this month's rally.

"We'll wait until Wednesday and see what happens," said director Elizabeth Tang.