North Korea on Wednesday sent back two South Koreans it accused of illegally entering the country, calling the decision “humanitarian” and warning against a recurrence.
The 59-year-old man surnamed Lee and 51-year-old woman surnamed Chin were transferred to South Korean authorities at the border village of Panmunjeom at around 10:15 a.m., the Unification Ministry said.
“The government plans to check their health conditions and look into the exact account of their entry into North Korea,” ministry deputy spokesperson Park Soo-jin said at a media briefing.
They are believed to have snuck into the communist country on May 11 while traveling near its border with China. Further details are to be examined, Park noted, adding that they appeared healthy.
The handover came two days after Pyongyang unveiled the rare conciliatory move, along with a “government” statement that it is open to restarting dialogue and negotiations with Seoul under proper conditions.
“Their illegal border access is a violent violation of our law and thus ought to be treated according to it, but we’ve decided to send them home on the humanitarian
standpoint,” the official Korean Central News Agency said in a dispatch, warning of “grave consequences” if such an incident reoccurs.
Four other South Koreans are known to remain detained. The regime released a video in February 2014 in which Kim Jung-wook, who is believed to be a missionary locked up on espionage charges since October 2013, pleaded for freedom, while presenting two others, Kim Kuk-gi and Joo Won-moon, at a news conference, calling them “spies.” It also unveiled another captive last month, university student Joo Won-moon.
The ministry sought to send a message calling for the repatriation of the four last week but the North refused to accept it.
Meanwhile, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Wednesday that it plans to return home a seized North Korean ship and five sailors on Thursday.
They were seized by South Korean authorities on Tuesday after drifting due to a malfunctioning engine in waters off Ulleungdo Island.
The Seoul authorities sent them back to the North on the same day, but they were found drifting again in the South Korean waters on Wednesday morning. All sailors expressed their wishes to return home, the ministry said.
By Shin Hyon-hee (
heeshin@heraldcorp.com)
