By Kim Se-jeong
North Korea confirmed Thursday that it had seized a South Korean fishing boat carrying four South Koreans and three Chinese, its first official reaction in nearly two weeks.
The North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said“According to our initial investigation, the ship was carrying four South Korean and three Chinese crewmembers, and their testimonies showed that their ship violated our exclusive economic zone.”
The Daeseung, a 41-ton fishing boat, was intercepted Aug. 8 en route to a joint fishing area between the two Koreas off the east coast.
Two days later, the South’s Ministry of Unification sent a letter asking for the early return of the sailors.
The boat was detained immediately after a U.S.-Korea joint naval exercise in the East Sea, leading many observers to speculate that it was seized by the North Korea to protest the drill.
Lee Jong-joo, the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Unification said Thursday that the announcement carried little meaning, and reiterated Seoul’s call for the early return of the sailors.