Overview

• On July 9, a wooden boat carrying six North Korean nationals crossed the Northern Limit Line in the East Sea at 8:56 a.m. and met a North Korean patrol vessel at 9:24 a.m.
• The six were initially found drifting south of the NLL—two in the Yellow Sea in March and four in the East Sea in May—and taken into South Korean custody.
• South Korean authorities determined that the East Sea vessel was operational after inspection while the Yellow Sea boat’s engine had failed, leading to all six boarding the seaworthy craft for the return.
• Ministry of Unification officials repeatedly confirmed the individuals’ free will to return and coordinated with related agencies to ensure their safety until handover.
• The repatriation underscores evolving inter-Korean maritime protocols for handling rare sea-based crossings on humanitarian grounds.