Pyongyang says "will check" into South Korean boat incident

SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said it will look into the seizure of a South Korean fishing vessel and get back to Seoul, South Korea's Unification Ministry said Thursday.

"They said, 'We received (the South Korean message). We will check the
situation," ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said.
The 29-ton boat named "800," carrying four crewmembers, was taken by a North
Korean patrol boat early Thursday morning after it strayed into North Korean
territory in the East Sea. Officials said the squid boat appeared to have
experienced a malfunction in its satellite navigation system.
Seoul sent a message to maritime authorities in Pyongyang through an inter-Korean
communication line to call for the immediate release of the crew and their boat.
The North's response was received through an inter-Korean telephone contact, held
twice daily under a maritime agreement between the two Koreas.
"They said they will see what happened and get back to us," a ministry official
who talked with his North Korean counterpart in Pyongyang said, requesting
anonymity due to protocol.