The view of a North Korean village from Ganghwa Island in South Korea, in this photo taken on July 25, 2023 / Yonhap

South Korea will work toward the prompt and safe repatriation of two North Koreans who were found adrift in waters south of the inter-Korean maritime border last month, the unification ministry said Friday.

"(The government) will have consultations with related bodies for the North Korean residents' prompt and safe return," Kim In-ae, the ministry's deputy spokesperson, said in a regular press briefing.

In March, the South Korean military found two North Koreans aboard a wooden boat drifting on the southern side of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea, in what was believed to be an accidental border crossing.

They reportedly did not express a desire to remain in South Korea, prompting the South Korean government to arrange for their return home.

The government's reaction followed a news report that the United Nations Command had recently sent a notice via a hotline regarding the repatriation of the North Koreans at South Korea's request, but North Korea had shown no response. (Yonhap)