SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Monday returned back eight sailors and two vessels of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) that had been rescued by the country's coast guard, Seoul's unification ministry said.
Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee told a press briefing that the DPRK sailors and ships were returned back to their home country earlier in the morning in the open sea off the east coast.
Four DPRK patrol ships and towing vessels towed away the two ships and eight sailors, who were rescued by the South Korean coast guard last week as they floated along in the South Korean east coast for engine malfunctioning.
All of the eight DPRK fishermen had expressed the will to return to their home country.
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