The Unification Ministry says that it is not considering sending an envoy to North Korea for the release and repatriation of three South Korean citizens detained in the North.
 
In a news briefing Monday, Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said that it is undesirable to bring the South Koreans back home by paying ransom to North Korea, denying any possibility of a German-style prisoner swap in exchange for money.
 
The spokesman said that North Korea is now violating international law and human rights by taking the South Korean citizens hostage. He urged Pyongyang to release them unconditionally.
 
He stressed that the government will continue to work for the release and repatriation of the South Korean detainees through diplomatic channels and international organizations. 
 
Last week, Pyongyang accused two men, identified as Kim Kuk-gi and Choe Chun-gil, of working for the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS). A third man, South Korean missionary Kim Jung-wook, has been detained in the North since October 2013.