| A South Korean Navy vessel pulls a smaller North Korean fishing boat with six crewmembers in waters off the east coast June 11. The boat, whose engine had broken down was towed towards the North Korean waters above the Northern Limit Line. Courtesy of the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff |
The crew of a North Korean fishing boat found drifting in South Korean waters off the east coast Saturday are being questioned by the by authorities.
The boat carrying four crewmembers was spotted by a South Korean fishing boat in waters south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) at around 6:50 a.m., according to officials.
The boat appears to have drifted across the NLL, the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas, due to an engine problem.
The military and Coast Guard are jointly investigating the incident.
Earlier Tuesday, six North Korean crewmembers on another fishing boat were found stranded in the East Sea south of the NLL and were sent back home on humanitarian grounds. (Yonhap)