27 N. Koreans repatriated via Yellow Sea border

Twenty-seven of the 31 North Koreans who accidentally entered South Korean waters last month on a fishing boat in the Yellow Sea were repatriated across the inter-Korean sea border at 12:55 p.m. Sunday after 50 days in the South.

A Unification Ministry source in Seoul said Sunday, “Twenty-seven North Koreans comprising nine men and 18 women were moved to waters near Yeonpyeong Island via South Korean Coast Guard boat, transferred to the five ton-class wooden ship they were aboard when floating into the South, and crossed the Northern Limit Line to the North.”

“After crossing the border, the fishing boat was escorted by a North Korean patrol boat.”

The South Korean Red Cross also said in a news release, “The North Koreans were returned to North Korea via 37 degrees, 41 minutes and 25 seconds of north latitude, and 125 degrees, 36 minutes and 57 seconds of east longitude.”

When they were repatriated, four South Korean naval patrol boats, one from the (South) Korea Coast Guard and two small speedboats were on guard south of the sea border in case of emergency.

Earlier at 8:09 a.m., the 27 people boarded two (South) Korea Coast Guard boats at the Incheon Waters Defense Command’s pier and departed for waters near Yeonpyeong.

Of the 31 North Koreans who floated to the South on the fishing boat on Feb. 5, four of them chose to defect to the South.