South Korean authorities have turned back a North Korean fishing boat on Saturday,... after it sailed below the eastern maritime border between the two Koreas.
According to the South Korean coast guard,... a navy surveillance plane spotted the vessel at around 9 AM Korea time,... in waters 110 kilometers northeast of the Dokdo islets.
The coast guard immediately dispatched a patrol vessel,... identifying the fishing boat at 10:40 AM.
The North Korean Navy contacted the South at around noon,... asking to rescue the vessel.
However, the crew rejected the coast guard's offer of assistance.
It was escorted back to North Korean waters at around 8 PM.
