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SEOUL - SEOUL has returned 22 North Koreans to Pyongyang after their boats drifted into South Korean waters in strong currents last week, reports said on Saturday.
Two small boats carrying the eight men and 14 women were spotted off the northwestern islands of Yeonpyeong on Friday last week, Yonhap news agency said.
'They were swept by currents into South Korean waters as they were going to gather clams,' Yonhap quoted an unidentified intelligence official as saying.
'Since they wanted to return home, we sent them back using an overland route that evening.'
North Korean fishing boats occasionally cross the disputed sea border in the Yellow Sea but it is rare for such a large number to drift into the South, a fact that sparked speculation they may have been defectors seeking asylum.
The intelligence authorities, however, denied the possibility.
'Government agencies concerned jointly investigated this case but the North Koreans showed no intention for defection,' an unidentified intelligence source was quoted as saying by Yonhap. -- AFP
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