A South Korean fishing vessel and crew captured by North Korea last month have returned home.

The 55 Daesung and its crew were handed over to the South Korean Coast Guard at the Northern Limit Line Tuesday and arrived in the port of Sokcho, Gangwon Province, around 8 p.m.

The Korea Coast Guard's east regional headquarters says the fishing boat and its seven crew members were transferred from North Korea to South Korean authorities at 4 p.m. on the maritime border in the East Sea.

The crew were greeted by their families and had a brief welcoming ceremony upon arrival at the port. The crew will go back to their families once they undergo a government investigation on how they came to be captured and on their detainment in the communist state.

The ship was seized by the North’s navy on August eighth while fishing for squid in the East Sea.

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.

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.