US EditionSeoul returns six North Koreans with 'strong desire' to go back
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, JUL 9 – South Korea repatriated six North Koreans who repeatedly requested to return home after drifting south of the maritime border earlier this year, officials said.
- On July 9, 2025, South Korea sent back six North Korean individuals who had unintentionally drifted into southern waters earlier this year and expressed a desire to return home.
- The repatriation followed months of failed contact attempts with North Korea, which cut off inter-Korean communication lines in 2023 amid rising tensions.
- South Korea's Unification Ministry said all six individuals consistently expressed their wish to return and were transported back with their consent.
- Nam Sung-wook characterized the return proceedings as a rigorous effort focused on obtaining all available information, including detailed questioning about espionage training or sensitive matters.
- This repatriation is the first since Lee Jae Myung became South Korea’s president in early June 2025, after which his administration halted loudspeaker broadcasts as part of efforts to restore trust with North Korea.
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World News
Seoul returns six North Koreans with 'strong desire' to go back
SEOUL — South Korea has repatriated six North Koreans who accidentally drifted into South Korean waters earlier this year. All six had consistently expressed their desire to go back, Seoul's Ministry ...
In rare gesture, Seoul returns six North Koreans with 'strong desire' to go back
Four sailors who had drifted over the disputed maritime boundary came in May. The other two entered southern waters in March and remained for four months, the longest known stay for any non-defectors in the South
South Korea's new liberal government helped to return for the first time in a long time. Although few want to flee back, adaptation to life in the south is difficult for many
South Korea has repatriated six North Koreans this Wednesday who were rescued in the East Sea earlier this year and asked to return to their country, reported Seoul’s Ministry of Unification and collected AFP. Four North Koreans were discovered in May by the South Korean authorities in the East Sea – internationally known as the Japan Sea – on a small wooden boat, after they had entered waters south of the de facto maritime border. By early Marc…
Seoul repatriates six North Koreans rescued at sea
SEOUL: South Korea on Wednesday (Jul 9) repatriated six North Koreans who were rescued at sea earlier this year and requested to return home, Seoul's unification ministry said. Four North Koreans were discovered in May by South Korean authorities in the East Sea - known internationally as the Sea of Japan
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