**Six North Korean Drifting Residents Hope for Return in March and May…”President Orders Prompt Repatriation”**
The UN Command is negative about the Panmunjom repatriation not coordinated with North Korea… ‘Maritime repatriation’ could be pursued as early as this week.
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ha Chae-rim = It is reported that the government has decided to promptly return six North Korean residents, who were rescued after drifting at sea, back to North Korea by sea according to their wishes.
A senior government official stated on the 7th, “The issue of drifting residents is a humanitarian matter, and the President has instructed to repatriate them promptly and safely,” indicating that the repatriation will be pursued as soon as possible.
The method is expected to involve boarding the North Korean residents on the small wooden boat they came on, escorting them to the Northern Limit Line (NLL) at sea, and allowing them to sail back to North Korea autonomously.
Even if North Korea does not respond to the ‘maritime repatriation’ plan, the government is expected to set the repatriation date as early as this week, permitting weather conditions.
Earlier, two North Korean residents were rescued in the West Sea on March 7, and four others in the East Sea on May 27. From the initial investigation by government authorities, these individuals reportedly expressed a strong desire to return to North Korea.
The government, amid severed inter-Korean communication channels, has attempted to convey the residents’ repatriation intentions to North Korea via the UN Command or through press releases, but with no response from North Korea, some residents have stayed in South Korea for up to four months.
North Korean resident repatriations have been conducted either by sea or through Panmunjom depending on the condition of the boat. However, the UN Command is reluctant to return individuals via land without coordination with North Korea, so the government has considered maritime repatriation.
This approach follows a precedent in 2017 when six distressed North Korean residents were returned to the East Sea without prior consultation with North Korea amid similar communication disconnections.
Some speculate the repatriation of the drifting residents could serve as a catalyst for restoring the long-severed inter-Korean communication channel, but it seems unlikely due to North Korea’s lack of response so far.