South Korea repatriates 6 North Koreans who drifted south

South Korea has repatriated six North Korean nationals who accidentally entered its waters earlier this year, the Ministry of Unification announced on Tuesday.

The return took place after the individuals repeatedly expressed their wish to go back to the North, officials said.

The group included two men who veered into South Korean waters in March and remained for four months — the longest known period that non-defecting North Koreans have stayed in the South.

Authorities confirmed they were held and questioned in accordance with standard procedures, during which they consistently indicated no intention to defect.

The other four individuals were crew members of a small North Korean vessel that drifted across the tense maritime border in the Yellow Sea in May.

South Korean military personnel intercepted the boat, and the men were taken into protective custody before being handed over to civilian authorities.

“Following thorough interviews and safety checks, we confirmed all six individuals’ unwavering desire to return to their home country,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

“In keeping with international norms and humanitarian principles, we facilitated their repatriation.”

The handover was conducted at the truce village of Panmunjom, inside the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), where the two Koreas have occasionally coordinated exchanges of individuals and remains despite strained ties.

Crossings between the two nations remain rare and politically sensitive, especially along the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a disputed maritime boundary in the Yellow Sea where accidental crossings and confrontations have occurred in the past.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have remained high in recent months, with Pyongyang ramping up missile tests and Seoul reinforcing its military posture. Despite this, both sides have occasionally cooperated on humanitarian matters such as repatriations.

Officials in Seoul stressed that there was no political motive or pressure behind the latest returns.

“This case was handled strictly based on the individuals’ own wishes and the legal and humanitarian protocols in place,” the Unification Ministry added.

North Korea has yet to publicly comment on the repatriation.