Stock Groups

S.Korea repatriates N.Korea sailors, seized boat after border crossing -Breaking

by Mike Robinson

[ad_1]


Hyonhee Shin

SEOUL (Reuters) – The South Korean military announced Wednesday that it has returned all seven North Korean sailors aboard a vessel it seized from the South after it crossed into South Korean waters a day earlier.

According to Seoul’s military officials, the boat was to be towed to an island bordering South Korea after it crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL), which is the sea boundary that de facto separates the two Koreas.

An North Korean patrol ship that was following the seized vessel briefly crossed the NLL, but soon after South military warnings it, the South turned back and fired off a warning shot.

Seoul’s defence Ministry said that the military had handed seven of the seven sailors along with the seized boat over to North Korean authorities at the NLL near Seoul around 14:00 (0500 GMT). This was after the crew requested to return to Seoul during interrogation.

Ministry released this statement: “It has been proven that the border crossing was caused by a navigating error, mechanical defects and all the sailors indicated their willingness to travel back to North Korea.”

This incident occurred at an extremely sensitive moment on the Korean Peninsula. On Wednesday, the South will hold a presidential election. Tensions are high over Pyongyang’s missile test and increasing activity at its nuclear site.

Since the Korean War, 1950-1953, ended in an armistice rather than a peace agreement, technically both Koreas still exist at war.

Disclaimer: Fusion MediaThis website does not provide accurate and current data. CFDs are stocks, futures, indexes or Forex. The prices of Forex and CFDs are not supplied by exchanges. They are instead provided by market makers. Because prices might not reflect the market, they may be incorrect. This means that prices cannot be considered indicative and are inappropriate for trading. Fusion Media is not responsible for trading losses that may be incurred as a consequence of the use of this data.

Fusion MediaFusion Media or any other person involved in the website will not be held responsible for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on this information, including charts, buy/sell signals, and data. You should be aware of all the potential risks and expenses associated with trading in the financial market. It is among the most dangerous investment types.

[ad_2]