South Korea repatriates 6 North Koreans rescued near eastern maritime border
North Korean nationals rescued from East Sea and Yellow Sea this year
ANKARA
South Korea repatriated six North Koreans on Wednesday who were rescued near the inter-Korean maritime border after they had drifted into southern waters, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The six, all fishermen, crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border, in the morning via a wooden boat.
They were rescued after drifting into the South Korean side of the East Sea and the Yellow Sea earlier this year.
"At the moment of repatriation, the North Korea patrol vessel was waiting at the transfer point, and the (repatriated) boat returned on its own," said an unnamed unification ministry official.
In May, South Korea rescued four North Koreans aboard a ship that had drifted into the South Korean side of the East Sea, following a similar case in March in which two North Koreans were rescued in the Yellow Sea.
The repatriation came despite North Korea remaining unresponsive to Seoul's repeated calls made through the US-led UN Command to arrange the North Koreans' return.
In May 2017, while communication lines between the two countries were suspended, South Korea unilaterally repatriated six fishermen rescued on its side of the sea.
