A surviving crew member of a South Korean boat that was seized by a North Korean patrol ship on the west sea back in 1987 reportedly requested Seoul authorities for help in 2003.

The boat, Dongjin No.27, was whisked away by a North Korean patroler in January 1987 near Baekryeong Island in waters off South Korea's west coast.

According to an official at a Seoul-based civic group comprising family members of South Korean nationals abducted by Pyongyang, a crew member of the ill-fated ship, Im Guk-jae, had requested South Korean authorities to rescue him from the communist state in May 2003. The official said the message was smuggled to the civic group via an individual who was traveling between China and North Korea at the time.

The group's president, Choi Seong-yong, explained that Im attempted to flee the North twice, in September 2003 and last April, only to fail both times.

Choi added that Im sent a letter and his photo when he first called for help two years ago.