North Korea seizes S.Korean fishing boat

North Korea has detained a South Korean fishing boat in the Sea of Japan, the South's coastguard said Sunday.

The boat, with four South Korean and three Chinese crewmen, was seized while apparently operating near the North's exclusive economic zone, the coastguard said in a statement.

It was being towed Sunday to the North's northeastern port of Songjin.

"We urge North Korean authorities to handle this case in accordance with international norms and practices and return the ship and the crew at the earliest possible date," the coastguard said.

It was not immediately clear whether the Daeseung 55 was suspected of illegal fishing.

YTN television said the fishing boat sent a message at 11 am Sunday saying it was heading for Songjin.

The television station quoted a Seoul government official as saying that the boat had been operating in or near a fishing area jointly shared between Russia and North Korea, 270 kilometers east of the North's Musudan region.

The vessel's home port is Pohang in the southeast of South Korea.

Wang Dawei, a consul overlooking maritime and fishing affairs at the Chinese embassy in Seoul, told the Global Times that they are collecting information regarding the incident.

"This is a rare case, and a tough one," Wang said. "We are closely monitoring it and will put up relevant measures."

The North Korean embassy in Beijing was not available for comment Sunday.

The seizure could further inflame tensions after months of angry exchanges over the sinking in March of the South Korean warship Cheonan, which Seoul blames on Pyongyang.

In July 2009, North Korea seized the South Korean fishing vessel 800 Yeonan after it crossed into the North's waters due to navigation failure. The ship was released about a month later.

Agencies - Global Times