North Koreans drift in East Sea for 10 days, request return home

A wooden boat that four North Korean traveled on to defect to South Korea on Oct. 24 being towed. [YONHAP]

For the second time in a week, a North Korean boat drifting along the East Sea was detected by the South Korean military.

However, this time, the North Koreans, who had been drifting for 10 days, asked that they were sent back home.

According to military sources, the South Korean military around 2:16 p.m. on Sunday spotted a 10-meter long wooden boat, which had been stranded 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in North Korean territory.

It was 200 kilometers away from South Korea’s Jejin Port in Goseong, Gangwon.

The South Korean patrol vessel approached the boat where passengers were requesting help.

South Korean vessels can only cross over to North Korean territory of the maritime border when its purpose is humanitarian assistance.

According to the military, the passengers on the boat said they had been drifting on the sea for 10 days and asked for food and water.

The South Korean military complied with instant rice and some chocolates.

However, the North Koreans told the South Korean military that they wish to return back to North Korea.

The Joint Chief of Staff reported that the South Korean military contacted the North Koreans through the United Nation Command and the global maritime distress network.

North Korean vessels later arrived at the boat.

In April, North Korea had cut off direct communication channels with South Korea including the military communication line.

On Oct. 24, four North Koreans including two women and a girl drifted across the South Korean territory of the NLL in the East Sea.

The North Koreans, who are believed to be a family, expressed their will to defect.

It was the second family that had crossed the border since nine people defected though the Yellow Sea in May.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]