South Korean nationals aboard Russian ship detained by North Korea

MarineTraffic-Yonhap via The Korea Herald

SEOUL — North Korea has held a Russian fishing ship carrying two South Korean nationals since July 17, after the vessel drifted into waters off eastern North Korea due to a mechanical problem, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Wednesday.

The 300-ton red crab fishing vessel, Xiang Hai Lin 8, which sails under the flag of Russia, was apprehended at sea by North Korea authorities after entering North by crossing the maritime border. The ship was headed to the Russian port of Zarubino from South Korea’s eastern port of Sokcho on July 16.

“A total of 17 crew members, including 15 Russian nationals and two South Koreans, have been detained for investigation for violating the rules of entry and stay in North Korean territory,” according to Russia’s embassy in Pyongyang, citing representatives of North’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Following a report from the ship’s owner, Russia-based Northeast Fishing Company, the Unification Ministry has asked North Korea to share details of the incident and called for the return of South Korean crew members swiftly and safety three times since July 18 but North Korea has remained unresponsive as of 4 p.m. Wednesday.

According to a Unification Ministry official, the crew members are staying at a hotel while North Korean authorities investigate them.

In the last 10 years, there were two previous cases of South Korean-flagged ships captured by North Korea after crossing inter-Korean maritime border — one in 2010 and the other in 2017. It took 31 days and 7 days, respectively, for the crew members and the ships to return home.