South Korea said Sunday that it will hand over three rescued North Korean fishermen to the communist country this week.
The Unification Ministry said in a message to North Korea that the repatriation is set to take place on the eastern maritime border at 8 a.m. on Monday.
The decision came hours after South Korea picked up the three fishermen from their boat drifting in waters near South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo due to a breakdown of its power system.
The North Koreans, who are in their 20s and 40s, expressed their wish to go back to the North, according to South Korean officials.
In June, South Korea handed over to North Korea one of three North Korean fishermen picked up from a boat drifting off South Korea’s east coast.
Still, South Korea allowed the two other fishermen to stay in the South by respecting their wish to remain in South Korea.
Yonhap News Agency, 2014