North Korea says it will release the crew of a South Korean fishing boat it seized last month.

The 41-ton Daeseung and its crew were seized on August eighth while fishing for squid in the East Sea.

In a message sent to the South Korean National Red Cross on Monday, the North Korean Red Cross Society said that it will return the ship and its seven crew members to the South at 4 pm on Tuesday at the inter-Korean maritime border in the East Sea.

The Unification Ministry in Seoul welcomed the North's move to release the ship and its crew, adding that authorities are preparing to receive the fishermen.

With four South Korean and three Chinese fishermen aboard, the boat is presumed to have been towed to Seongjin Port in North Hamgyeong Province by North Korean authorities following its detainment in the North’s exclusive economic zone.

Following the seizing of the vessel, the South Korean government sent requests to the North asking it to immediately return the ship and its sailors and to notify the South about the details of the detainment.

North Korea announced through the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 19th that its navy was conducting routine duties in the East Sea when they seized the Daeseung for trespassing.