June 18, 2015 09:40
North Korea on Wednesday handed over to the Unification Ministry here two South Koreans who had trespassed across the Chinese border in May.
Ministry officials took over the couple at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone, a ministry spokesman said.
They are a 59-year-old man identified as Lee and his 51-year-old wife identified as Jin who went missing while traveling in the border area.
"The government will check their health and find out why and how they entered the North in the first place," the spokesman added. "No investigation has been conducted yet."
On Monday, the North Korean Red Cross sent a fax announcing it would return the couple, who "illegally entered" the North.
It is rare for the North not to hold back South Koreans who cross the border for a long time.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency said Pyongyang decided to send them back home from a "humanitarian point of view… although they deserve legal action for their wanton violation of the law."
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