SEOUL – Twenty-seven North Koreans who drifted into South Korean waters aboard a fishing vessel last month will be returned home on Wednesday, the South said, but the fate of another four defectors from the group remains unresolved.
Pyongyang, which has previously demanded all 31 North Koreans be returned at the same time, said that taking into account “the feelings of the family members who are waiting for them” the 27 could return, the South Korean Red Cross said in a statement.
The North requested they return home by sea, but Seoul said the waters were too rough and that they would be repatriated through their land border at Panmunjom. The statement did not mention what would happen to the other four people who were aboard the vessel.
Pyongyang accuses Seoul of forcing the four to defect against their will, but the South says they want to stay and their will must be respected. The North has demanded they be brought to the border to meet relatives, and where they can be interviewed.
