South Korea has returned six North Korean fishermen who drifted into its waters after engine failures, in what appears to be a gesture of good will under new President Lee Jae Myung. The repatriation occurred Wednesday near the maritime border on the peninsula's east coast, with the fishermen allowed to take back one repaired boat. Lee, who took office last month, has called for improved dialogue with the North, marking a shift from his predecessor's tougher stance.
Two fishermen turned up in a boat in March, while the other four were found in May. The New York Times reports South Korean authorities typically debrief such individuals to determine if they wish to defect or return home, a process that can take months as officials assess motives and rule out possible espionage. But this was an unusually long process—Deutsche Welle reports they were stuck in the South longer than any other North Koreans who expressed a desire to return home—one "complicated by the North's decision to cut off communications with the South in recent years," per the AP. The South made clear it was willing to return the men but heard nothing back.
Seoul finally "decided to act unilaterally," per the Times and twice alerted Pyongyang of its decision via the United Nations Command. Though the North did not respond, a patrol boat was observed waiting for the men across the maritime border. The Times notes that there was a legal issue at play, too, as under South Korea's constitution all members of the Korean Peninsula must be treated as its citizens. In a 2019 case, two North Korean fishermen who admitted murdering 16 of their fellow sailors and then sailing South to seek asylum were ultimately returned to the North. Four former senior South Korean officials were this year found guilty of having abused their power by forcing the men's return rather than granting their asylum request or trying them in the South.
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