North to free South’s fishing boat
SEOUL: North Korea said it will release a South Korean fishing boat yesterday after it was found illegally in North Korean waters, state media reported, as the United States defence secretary visited the heavily militarised border dividing the Korean peninsula.
Tensions have been building between North Korea and the US after a series of weapons tests by Pyongyang and bellicose verbal exchanges between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, stoking fears any miscalculation could lead to an armed confrontation.
“North Korean provocations continue to threaten regional and global security despite unanimous condemnation by the United Nations Security Council,” US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said in prepared remarks as he visited the demilitarised zone (DMZ) dividing the peninsula.
“As Secretary of State Tillerson has made clear, our goal is not war, but rather the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.”
Standing alongside Mattis, South Korean Defence Minister Song Young-moo said: “We will continue to defend peace together through strong will and might.”
The proposed return of the fishing boat and its crew would avoid worsening already strained relations between Pyongyang, South Korea and its US ally.
The boat was seized on Oct 21, and investigation by the North found that the boat entered North Korean waters for fishing, news agency KCNA said.