SEOUL, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- An official in Seoul said a North Korean soldier returned home Wednesday, days after being rescued at sea by the South Korean navy.
A South Korean Defense Ministry official, who wished to remain anonymous, said the North Korean army sergeant was repatriated Wednesday at the Panmunjom Village in the Demilitarized Zone, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
The soldier, whose identity was not released, was rescued in the Yellow Sea by the South Korean navy on Sunday when his boat crossed the Northern Limit Line.
Unidentified officials said the soldier had been fishing when his vessel crossed the demarcation line between the two countries.
The de facto maritime border has not been honored by North Korea since the border was instituted after the 1950-53 Korean War, Yonhap said.
The news agency said North Korea released four South Korean fishermen in August after the group accidentally crossed the Northern Limit Line in the East Sea.
