South Korea has repatriated six North Korean fishermen who crossed the heavily guarded maritime border separating the two countries, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, quoted by BTA.
The Ministry of National Unification said the fishermen had repeatedly expressed their desire to return to North Korea, the agency reported.
Four of them were detained after entering South Korean waters in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, in May. The other two were captured in a similar incident in March in the Yellow Sea.
Yonhap reported that the six men were put on a wooden boat this morning and taken back to North Korean territorial waters, where three North Korean ships were stationed.
The repatriation of North Koreans to their homeland is rare, and their fate cannot be independently verified, Yonhap said.
Human rights groups in South Korea have criticized the return of the six fishermen north of the border.