S. Korean Boat Seized for Illegal Intrusion: N. Korea

North Korea has seized and is investigating a South Korean fishing boat because it illegally intruded into the North's territorial waters, Pyongyang's official media said on Saturday, two days after the incident, Yonhap News reported.

"A patrol ship of the Navy of the Korean People's Amy captured one ship of South Korea on July 30 when it illegally intruded deep into North Korean territorial waters in the East Sea," Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said.

"A relevant institution is conducting a concrete investigation into it at present," the short report said.

With four crewmen aboard, the 29-ton squid fishing boat, named the Yeonanho No. 800, was hauled away by a North Korean patrol vessel to an eastern port in the communist country early Thursday morning after straying 13 km past the inter-Korean maritime border.

South Korean authorities suspect the boat either did not have a satellite navigation device or that it malfunctioned.

Seoul officials called North Korea's prompt response an encouraging sign. But they cautioned that the isolated state is often unpredictable. "Now that there was a prompt response about the situation, I'm looking at it in a positive way," Unification Minister Hyun In-taek said.

South Korea requested the early release of the boat and its crew "on humanitarian grounds."

In previous incidents, fishing boats that have strayed into the North have been released after a week or two of inquiry. The latest case has caused greater concern as cross-border tensions are running high.