Unification Ministry releases video of North Korean fishermen being repatriated

The Ministry of Unification on Monday released a video from November 2019 when two North Korean fishermen were repatriated to North Korea through Panmunjom.

The four-minute video, released to reporters Monday afternoon, showed the fishermen protesting and shouting as they were handed over to North Korean officials at Panmunjom.

On July 11, the Ministry of Unification announced that the decision to repatriate the North Korean fishermen was wrong in consideration of the fact that, under the Constitution, North Korean defectors are citizens of South Korea, and considering that they are expected to receive punishment upon repatriation.

The two fishermen first crossed the inter-Korean maritime border in the East Sea on Nov. 2, 2019, and were captured by the South Korean Navy. They were sent back to North Korea on Nov. 7. At the time, the Moon Jae-in administration said that the pair did not want to stay in South Korea.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]