ID :
202090
Thu, 08/18/2011 - 11:27
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/202090
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea repatriates 2 N. Korean fishermen rescued near sea border
SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea repatriated two North Korean fishermen rescued by South Korean Navy near the tense western sea border with the North earlier this week, Seoul's Red Cross said Thursday.
The two men were handed over to the North at the truce village of Panmunjom on Thursday after expressing their wish to return to their homeland, the Red Cross said.
Their boat drifted into South Korean waters on Tuesday while they were fishing, the Red Cross said.
The move came a week after South Korea returned seven North Korean fishermen rescued after their fishing boats strayed into South Korean waters near the border.
It is not uncommon for North Koreans to stray into South Korean waters near the sea border due to bad weather or a malfunction in their boats. But some North Koreans also defect to the South by boat.
South Korea returns North Korean fishermen who drift into the South if they want to return, but accepts any North Korean defectors who want to live in the South.
The two men were handed over to the North at the truce village of Panmunjom on Thursday after expressing their wish to return to their homeland, the Red Cross said.
Their boat drifted into South Korean waters on Tuesday while they were fishing, the Red Cross said.
The move came a week after South Korea returned seven North Korean fishermen rescued after their fishing boats strayed into South Korean waters near the border.
It is not uncommon for North Koreans to stray into South Korean waters near the sea border due to bad weather or a malfunction in their boats. But some North Koreans also defect to the South by boat.
South Korea returns North Korean fishermen who drift into the South if they want to return, but accepts any North Korean defectors who want to live in the South.
