Five North Koreans were rescued from a sinking fishing boat in waters off South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo last week, a Seoul official said Sunday.

South Korea’s Coast Guard discovered the fishing boat about 60 kilometers northeast of Dokdo on Friday morning and rescued all five crew members on board, an official of South Korea‘s Unification Ministry said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The crew members, all men in their 20s to 40s, expressed their wish to return home and will be sent back through the neutral border village of Panmunjeom on Monday, the official said.

Last month, the Coast Guard rescued three other North Koreans from a ship that was found drifting off South Korea’s east coast due to engine problems.

Only one of the crew members was sent home as the two others expressed their wish to defect to the South. (Yonhap)