Two North Korean fishermen picked up by South Korean patrols in March remain stranded in the South as Pyongyang refuses to respond to requests for their return.
Their case has now become the longest unresolved repatriation of reluctant North Korean defectors. In previous similar incidents, North Koreans who asked to return were usually sent back quickly. This time, North Korea has cut all communication, including hotline calls from the South.
Experts say Pyongyang’s silence reflects a broader political message. The North has expressed strong opposition to Seoul’s recent security alignment with the US and Japan, particularly under now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. Last year, North Korea amended its constitution to formally declare South Korea a hostile state. Roads and rail lines across the border have been destroyed, and the frontier is sealed with anti-tank barriers.
Some analysts believe the two men may be trying to protect their families. North Korea is known to punish relatives of defectors, and reports suggest those crackdowns have worsened. The men’s continued insistence on returning could be a way to avoid retaliation against loved ones still inside the country.
With no response from Pyongyang and no other channel of contact, the two fishermen remain in limbo, waiting for a decision that may not come any time soon.
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