South Korea is urging North Korea to agree to the return of 27 North Koreans who crossed the inter-Korean maritime border in a wooden fishing boat last month.

Seoul delivered the stance to Pyongyang through liaison officers at the truce village of Panmunjeom.

Altogether, 31 North Koreans entered South Korean waters in a wooden boat near Yeonpyeong Island in February. Four of them have expressed their will to stay in South Korea.

According to Lee Jong-joo, a spokeswoman at the Unification Ministry, the South told the North that the two sides can discuss “fair and objective” ways to confirm whether the four North Koreans have chosen to remain in South Korea of their own volition.

Lee told a regular news briefing Wednesday that it is inappropriate to confirm the wishes of the four North Koreans to stay in South Korea through meetings between them and their relatives at Panmunjeom, as is being proposed by North Korea.

She noted that the South Korean government has rejected North Korea’s demand that the four North Koreans be present at proposed inter-Korean working-level Red Cross talks.

The spokeswoman did not, however, elaborate on the details of the “fair and objective” ways South Korea has proposed to confirm the intentions of the four North Koreans.

Accordingly, attempts to hold inter-Korean talks on the return of the North Koreans have virtually collapsed, as the North has shown no changes in its stance.

The North proposed Monday that the two Koreas hold working-level Red Cross talks at the office of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) at the truce village of Panmunjeom at 10 a.m. on Wednesday to settle the issue.