logo
S. Korea to soon repatriate 6 N. Koreans rescued at sea: source

S. Korea to soon repatriate 6 N. Koreans rescued at sea: source

Korea Herald07-07-2025
The South Korean government has decided to soon repatriate six North Koreans, rescued from the southern side of the inter-Korean maritime border, via a sea route, a government source said Monday.
"President (Lee Jae Myung) has ordered a swift and safe repatriation because the matter of stranded people is a humanitarian issue," the high-ranking government official said on condition of anonymity, suggesting that the repatriation will take place in the near future.
In May, South Korea rescued four North Koreans aboard a ship who had drifted into the South Korean side of the East Sea, following a similar case in March in which two North Koreans were rescued in the Yellow Sea. All of them have expressed a wish to go back to the North.
The repatriation plan comes as North Korea remains unresponsive to Seoul's repeated calls, made through the US-led UN Command (UNC) and the news media, to arrange the North Koreans' return, with inter-Korean communication channels still severed amid strained ties.
Regardless of whether the North responds, the South Korean government is expected to carry out the repatriation as early as this week, depending on weather conditions.
The government reportedly considered the sea route for the repatriation, as using the land route through the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom would require the supervision of the UNC, which is negative about unilateral repatriation.
The government may place them back on the wooden boats they were rescued in and send them across the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime boundary, as it did in 2017.
In May 2017, while communication lines between the two Koreas were suspended, South Korea unilaterally repatriated six fishermen rescued on the South Korean side of the sea, after repairing their boat and boarding them on it.
While confirming the planned repatriation, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Lee had remarked it would be desirable to respect the wishes of the stranded North Koreans if related circumstances revealed no issues.
"If they simply drifted across the Military Demarcation Line and wish to return to their hometown, where their families and livelihoods are, President Lee believes their wishes should be respected from a humanitarian perspective," Kang said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Special counsel raids ex-investment firm chief in probe into ex-first lady
Special counsel raids ex-investment firm chief in probe into ex-first lady

Korea Herald

time16 hours ago

  • Korea Herald

Special counsel raids ex-investment firm chief in probe into ex-first lady

A special counsel on Saturday raided the residence of a former chief of an investment firm in a widening investigation into corruption allegations surrounding former first lady Kim Keon Hee, officials said. Investigators from special counsel Min Joong-ki's team seized a mobile phone during a raid on the home and car of Lee Jong-ho, former head of Blackpearl Invest, in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, according to the officials. Lee is suspected of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act. The special counsel has also notified him to appear for questioning Monday. He has allegedly received 81 million won (US$58,000) from a confidant of first lady Kim in return for helping secure a suspended sentence in a stock manipulation case involving Kim. Lee has reportedly denied the allegations. He is known to be a key figure in the manipulation of stock prices of Deutsch Motors, a BMW dealer in South Korea, between 2009 and 2012 through illegal trading schemes. He was sentenced to a suspended prison term by the Supreme Court in April. Last week, Lee's residence was also raided by a separate special counsel team investigating alleged political interference in the 2023 death of a young Marine. (Yonhap)

Lee's special envoy delivers letter to Modi, pledges deeper Korea–India ties
Lee's special envoy delivers letter to Modi, pledges deeper Korea–India ties

Korea Herald

timea day ago

  • Korea Herald

Lee's special envoy delivers letter to Modi, pledges deeper Korea–India ties

President Lee Jae-myung's special envoy to India delivered his personal letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reaffirming the South Korean leader's commitment to deepening the special strategic partnership between Seoul and New Delhi. Lee's special delegation to India, led by former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, met with Modi as well as key figures from the Indian government and parliament on Thursday and Friday in New Delhi, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Friday. 'The special delegation paid a courtesy visit to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, personally delivering a letter from President (Lee) containing his message on strengthening Korea–India relations,' the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said. The delegation also 'expressed the firm commitment at the leadership level to advancing the Korea–India Special Strategic Partnership, which marks its 10th anniversary this year.' India is one of the few countries with which South Korea has established a 'special strategic partnership,' alongside Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan. In response, Modi expressed his hope that President Lee would visit India, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said. Lee and Modi held summit talks in Canada on the sidelines of the Group of Seven or G7 summit in mid-June, less than two weeks after Lee's inauguration. During the meeting, Lee's special delegation also 'called for India's special attention and support for the South Korean government's efforts to achieve substantive progress toward resolving the North Korean nuclear issue and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula.' Lee's delegation also 'expressed hope that the two countries would continue to strengthen strategic cooperation in areas such as the defense industry and key technologies,' the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said. In return, Modi 'expressed strong interest in cooperation with Korea, particularly in the shipbuilding sector, where Korea leads the world,' underscoring that 'now is the ideal time for Korean companies to enter the Indian market, given India's rapid and stable development,' the ministry added. The Korean special delegation asked Prime Minister Modi for India's continued support for Korean companies operating in the country. Modi responded that India would do its utmost to resolve the challenges faced by Korean businesses, according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul. During their trip to New Delhi, the delegation also held a luncheon meeting with Periasamy Kumaran, joint secretary at India's Ministry of External Affairs, on Thursday. On the same day, they met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. On Friday, the delegation met with Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha. President Lee this week dispatched special envoys to several countries—including India, the European Union, France, and the United Kingdom—as part of the first batch of diplomatic missions abroad since his inauguration on June 4.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store