By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
South Korea was finally able to send back two rescued fishermen across its heavily guarded border with North Korea on Tuesday, after the latter's refusal to accept them last week.
The pair were among five crew members found drifting off the South's east coast on July 4 -- the other three all declined the opportunity to go home.
Pyongyang had been holding out for the return of all its citizens, despite Seoul's established policy of offering refuge to North Koreans.
Even though the North threatened to take "stern actions" against South Korea, the transfer appeared to go smoothly Tuesday morning.
"There seemed to be no conflict in the process of the repatriation," a South Korean Unification Ministry official told reporters.
The North's Red Cross had asked for the identities of the other three sailors -- a request that was rejected by Seoul out of respect for their human rights.
It is not clear whether Pyongyang went ahead with its plan to allow family members of the fishermen who stayed behind to also turn up at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom, where the repatriation took place.
While North Korea claimed that it intended for the relatives to be reunited, the offer was questionable given the authoritarian state's alleged punishment in the past of entire families connected to anyone considered disloyal.
