Seoul sends back 6 North Koreans rescued at sea

South Korea yesterday repatriated six North Koreans who were rescued at sea earlier this year and requested to return home, Seoul's unification ministry said.

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Four North Koreans were discovered in May by South Korean authorities in the East Sea — known internationally as the Sea of Japan — on a small wooden boat, after they had drifted into waters south of the de facto maritime border. In early March, South Korea's military had also found another wooden boat carrying two North Koreans in the western Yellow Sea.

“The South Korean government repatriated six North Korean residents today via the East Sea,” the unification ministry said. “With the full consent of all North Korean individuals involved... all six were repatriated together.”