South Korea fishing boat was seized and towed to a North Korean

South Korea fishing boat was seized and towed to a North Korean port.

In South Korea, Yonhap news agency quoted a South Korean defense official saying that the incident took place early Thursday in the East Sea or the Sea of Japan.

The official told Yonhap the incident occurred when the ship of global positioning system (GPS) was malfunctioning and he accidentally crossed about 11 km in North Korean waters. He said that four people were aboard the ship when it was taken by North Korean authorities.

Yonhap also quoted an official as saying South Korean authorities have sent a message urging North Korea to immediately resume the boat for “humanitarian reasons.” The official said North Korea has not responded.

In 2006 North Korea held a South Korean fishing boat that crossed into its waters for 18 days, Yonhap News reported today. More recently, a North Korean patrol ship intruded into South Korean waters in June for about an hour before retreating, South Korea said at the time.

North Korea is still holding a South Korean worker detained at a jointly run industrial complex on the communist nation’s territory in March for allegedly criticizing Kim Jong Il’s regime.