A South Korean fishing boat captain who was arrested for fishing in Japan's exclusive economic zone(EEZ) without authorization was reportedly released on Monday.

An official from Seoul’s foreign ministry said the release came a day after the Japanese Fisheries Agency announced that the South Korean vessel “808 Cheongnamho” was seized in the EEZ off the southwestern island of Kyushu and the captain, surnamed Kim, was arrested. 

The boat, with a size of 44 tons, had a crew of eleven people including the captain.

Seoul had reportedly requested a fair and prompt investigation from the Japanese Fisheries Agency.

The same vessel had previously been caught by Japanese authorities in January 2021 for alleged illegal fishing activities about 300 kilometers west of Amami Oshima in southern Kyushu, with Kim released after a day upon payment of a bond totaling 6 million yen, or around 55 million Korean won.