SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea seized a South Korean fishing boat early today after it accidentally crossed the countries’ sea border, a news report said.
Yonhap news agency quoted a Defense Ministry official as saying that the incident took place about 6:30 a.m. local time in the East Sea and that four people were aboard the South Korean boat.
He said that the boat’s satellite navigation system appeared to have malfunctioned and that a North Korean patrol boat took the ship into custody. South Korea was working to secure the release of the boat, Yonhap quoted another official as saying.
Yonhap said the incident took place in the East Sea, the body of water off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula.
Tensions between the two Koreas have mounted this year, with the North launching a ballistic missile, conducting an atomic weapons test and vowing to never again participate in six-party talks on dismantling its nuclear program.
