South Korea reiterated Thursday that it plans to repatriate two North Korean fishermen rescued in the South’s waters last week while three others will not be sent back home in accordance with their wishes to defect to Seoul.
Earlier in the day, the South’s Red Cross sent a notice to the North’s counterpart saying that Seoul plans to send the two fishermen back home on Friday through the truce village of Panmunjom, according to the Unification Ministry. It also called on the North to immediately take necessary measures for this matter.
Seoul’s message came a day after North Korea threatened to take “stern actions” if the South refuses to send all of the five North Korean sailors back to the North.
“There is no change in the South’s stance that Seoul will repatriate only the two North Koreans wishing to return to the North as soon as possible,” the ministry said in a statement.
The five North Koreans were rescued by the South’s coast guard on Saturday while drifting on a vessel due to an engine failure near the eastern island of Ulleung.
Tension on a divided peninsula remains still high over North Korea’s provocative actions, including its launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine in May.
Despite such tension, the two Koreas have a practice of repatriating civilians who accidentally land in each other’s territory.
In what could be seen as a conciliatory tit-for-tat, South Korea sent home five North Korean fishermen on humanitarian grounds in mid-June as they were rescued while drifting on a vessel in waters off its east coast.
A day earlier, the North repatriated two South Koreans who allegedly sneaked into the communist nation in May during their trip to China. (Yonhap)
