(2nd LD) Two N. Koreans rescued in East Sea to be repatriated: officials

(ATTN: RECASTS lead, headline; UPDATES with message sent to N. Korea in para 3,
comments in paras 4-5)
By Sam Kim

SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Tuesday it will repatriate two North
Korean fishermen who were rescued earlier this week after their boat had drifted
south of the East Sea border.
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. Seoul
sent Pyongyang a message notifying its intention for repatriation, the ministry
said in a statement.
"They wandered at sea for a very long time on their barge which had no motor,"
said Vice Spokesman Lee Jong-joo, declining to specify how long because she was
not allowed to discuss the details.
The Dokdo islets mark South Korea's easternmost territory, lying more than 210 km
from the coast. Lee added North Korea had yet to respond to the message, but
South Korea preferred to repatriate the North Koreans as early as possible.
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 sent back through the joint
security area of the truce village 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
(END)

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