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Seoul Repatriates Six North Korean Fishermen Across Maritime Border

Completed after two U.N. Command notifications to Pyongyang, the maritime handover used a repaired wooden boat to cross the Northern Limit Line without direct inter-Korean contact.

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North Korean people work on a military fence near their guard post at the inter-Korean border in this picture taken from the observation deck near the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea, June 4, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo
A wooden boat carrying North Koreans moves northward in the East Sea on July 9, 2025, in this photo provided by the unification ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)
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Overview

  • The transfer took place on July 9 when the repaired wooden vessel crossed south to north at 8:56 a.m. and met a North Korean patrol ship at 9:24 a.m.
  • All six fishermen, rescued in separate incidents in March and May, had repeatedly expressed their wish to return home.
  • With inter-Korean channels severed since April 2023, Seoul informed Pyongyang twice via the U.N. Command hotline but received no formal response.
  • South Korea repaired the East Sea boat without adding parts prohibited by U.N. sanctions and secured each individual’s consent through interviews by multiple agencies.
  • President Lee Jae Myung’s administration has halted border propaganda broadcasts and is pursuing humanitarian exchanges to build cautious trust with North Korea.