South Korean Navy rescues two N Korean soldiers

South Korea’s navy rescued a pair of North Korean soldiers from a small boat off the eastern Korean coast this weekend, but it was unclear if they had been planning to defect, a Defence Ministry official said today.

The three-ton wooden boat was found drifting off South Korea’s eastern port of Sokcho, near the maritime border with communist North Korea, on Saturday night and the two soldiers were taken to a hospital, the official said, asking not to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The official said the two soldiers were not in good condition, but would not elaborate and declined to give their names.

Military and intelligence authorities plan to question the pair as soon as thy recover, the official added.

While some North Koreans have defected by sea to the south, it is not unusual for the South Korean navy to rescue North Korean boats and return their crews home.

The two rival Koreas remain technically atwar since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a ceasefire, not a peace treaty.