Seoul will utilize various diplomatic channels to secure the swift release of three South Korean citizens detained in North Korea.
 
A Unification Ministry official said Tuesday that the decision came after related ministries discussed the North's spy accusations on the citizens and found that the detainment is in violation of human rights.

The official said that the government will work to handle the case through inter-Korean channels as well as through international organizations and countries that have diplomatic missions in the North.
 
The official added that if inter-Korean dialogue resumes, Seoul will include the topic in discussions and call on the North to release and repatriate the South Korean detainees.
 
Last week, Pyongyang arrested two men, identified as Kim Kuk-gi and Choe Chun-gil, on charges of spying for the South's state intelligence agency. A third man, South Korean missionary Kim Jung-wook, has been detained in the North since October 2013.