Latest news with #NorthKoreanPatrol
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Korea sends 6 rescued North Koreans back across sea border
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea sent six North Koreans back across the rivals' sea border on Wednesday morning, months after they drifted south in wooden boats in March and May. It came after months of failed efforts to contact North Korea to coordinate the repatriation of the six individuals, who officials say consistently expressed a desire to go back. Despite the lack of communication, a North Korean patrol boat appeared at the handover point as the six individuals headed back aboard a repaired wooden boat, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry. What would have been a routine event in years past was complicated by the North's decision to cut off communications with the South in recent years. North Koreans have occasionally drifted south in wooden boats before, sometimes accidentally and sometimes with the intention of defecting. In most previous cases, the two Koreas coordinated to send those who wished to turn back across the land border. South Korea twice informed the North of its intention to repatriate the North Koreans on Wednesday through the U.S.-led United Nations Command, but received no response, the ministry said. South Korean authorities are also investigating a North Korean man who crossed the heavily fortified land border between the Koreas on Friday and was taken into custody by South Korean troops. South Korean officials have not disclosed whether the man expressed a desire to settle in the South. North Korea has effectively suspended almost all diplomacy and direct communication with South Korea following the collapse of its nuclear negotiations with Washington in 2019. Relations between the Koreas have worsened since 2022 as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a distraction to accelerate his nuclear weapons and missile programs, while also sending troops and military equipment to support Russia's war effort. South Korea's previous conservative government responded to the growing North Korean threat by expanding combined military exercises with the United States and Japan, which the North condemned as invasion rehearsals. Border tensions have flared in recent months as the two Koreas traded Cold War-style psychological warfare, with North Korea sending thousands of trash-filled balloons toward the South and South Korea blasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda through loudspeakers. Since taking office last month, South Korea's new liberal President Lee Jae Myung has made efforts to rebuild trust with North Korea, halting the frontline loudspeaker broadcasts and moving to ban activists from flying balloons carrying propaganda leaflets across the border.
NHK
09-07-2025
- Politics
- NHK
South Korea repatriates 6 North Koreans rescued at sea
The South Korean government says six North Koreans who were rescued at sea earlier this year were repatriated on Wednesday. South Korea's Unification Ministry says a total of six North Korean residents were rescued by the South Korean military in March and May after drifting into southern waters. All those rescued reportedly expressed the wish to return to the North. The ministry says they returned on a boat that sailed unaccompanied, crossing the Northern Limit Line, the de-facto inter-Korean maritime border, on Wednesday morning. The ministry says the boat was then met by what appeared to be a North Korean patrol vessel. South Korea says it communicated its repatriation plan to the North through the United Nations Command but received no response. An expert in South Korea says it is unusual for North Korean vessels to be mobilized and stand by. He suggests the move may indicate Pyongyang's readiness for limited communication with Seoul. South Korea's presidential office says President Lee Jae-myung showed understanding about the repatriation. His administration is expected to seek dialogue with the North.
Associated Press
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
South Korea sends 6 rescued North Koreans back across sea border
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea sent six North Koreans back across the rivals' sea border on Wednesday morning, months after they drifted south in wooden boats in March and May. It came after months of failed efforts to contact North Korea to coordinate the repatriation of the six individuals, who officials say consistently expressed a desire to go back. Despite the lack of communication, a North Korean patrol boat appeared at the handover point as the six individuals headed back aboard a repaired wooden boat, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry. What would have been a routine event in years past was complicated by the North's decision to cut off communications with the South in recent years. North Koreans have occasionally drifted south in wooden boats before, sometimes accidentally and sometimes with the intention of defecting. In most previous cases, the two Koreas coordinated to send those who wished to turn back across the land border. South Korea twice informed the North of its intention to repatriate the North Koreans on Wednesday through the U.S.-led United Nations Command, but received no response, the ministry said. South Korean authorities are also investigating a North Korean man who crossed the heavily fortified land border between the Koreas on Friday and was taken into custody by South Korean troops. South Korean officials have not disclosed whether the man expressed a desire to settle in the South. North Korea has effectively suspended almost all diplomacy and direct communication with South Korea following the collapse of its nuclear negotiations with Washington in 2019. Relations between the Koreas have worsened since 2022 as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a distraction to accelerate his nuclear weapons and missile programs, while also sending troops and military equipment to support Russia's war effort. South Korea's previous conservative government responded to the growing North Korean threat by expanding combined military exercises with the United States and Japan, which the North condemned as invasion rehearsals. Border tensions have flared in recent months as the two Koreas traded Cold War-style psychological warfare, with North Korea sending thousands of trash-filled balloons toward the South and South Korea blasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda through loudspeakers. Since taking office last month, South Korea's new liberal President Lee Jae Myung has made efforts to rebuild trust with North Korea, halting the frontline loudspeaker broadcasts and moving to ban activists from flying balloons carrying propaganda leaflets across the border.
Reuters
09-07-2025
- Reuters
South Korea returns six North Koreans stranded at sea this year
SEOUL, July 9 (Reuters) - South Korea returned six North Koreans home via eastern waters, a South Korean government official said on Wednesday. Authorities in the South had found the six North Koreans earlier this year after their vessels had drifted south after they became stranded. A North Korean patrol ship was standing by at a transfer point and the North Koreans had returned in one of their boats, according to the official.
