S Korea hopes North will return boat soon

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A North Korean navy patrol boat is seen alongside the fishing boats near disputed waters with South Korea. — AFP

SEOUL, July 31 (AFP): South Korea expressed Friday hope that North Korea will soon return a captured fishing boat and its four crew members, insisting that the vessel had accidentally strayed into Pyongyang's waters.
North Korean maritime authorities said Friday they did not yet have any information to give concerning the four fishermen, Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-Sung said in Seoul.
"It was accidental and we've urged the North to return the boat and crew at the earliest possible date," he told reporters.
There are inter-Korean traditions on how to handle accidental sea border crossings.