(LEAD) Two N. Koreans rescued in East Sea to return home: official

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SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to return two North Koreans who were
rescued earlier this week after their boat drifted south of the border in the
East Sea, an official said Tuesday.

The North Koreans were spotted on Jan. 3 by South Korea's coastguard 48
kilometers northeast of the Dokdo islets, Chun Hae-sung, spokesman for the
Unification Ministry, told reporters.
"The two men were fishing before their boat drifted. They have expressed their
desire to return home during questioning by our authorities," Chun said, adding
Seoul plans to notify Pyongyang later Tuesday of their wish.
South Korea sent back seven North Korean fishermen to their communist homeland
last month after they drifted across the Yellow Sea border off the west coast of
the divided peninsula.
North Koreans wishing to return are typically returned through the joint security
area of truce village of Panmunjom that straddles the demarcation line drawn
after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce.
In September, a group of 11 North Koreans, consisting of two family units,
defected to South Korea after crossing the maritime border in the East Sea on a
small fishing boat.
In a separate case, a North Korean soldier who was found drifting on a small boat
in the Yellow Sea in November was repatriated after he expressed his desire to
return home.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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