Three North Koreans who crossed the maritime inter-Korean border into South Korea on a small boat on Saturday reportedly said they had no intention of defecting. 

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said Sunday that the boat was spotted crossing the Northern Limit Line(NLL), the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas, at around 11:21 p.m. Saturday, prompting the military to immediately send a naval vessel to the scene.

The three crew members and the boat were then brought to a South Korean military port in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, at around 5:30 a.m. Sunday for investigation.

According to a JCS official, the crewmen claimed that their boat had crossed the NLL due to a "navigation error," and when asked if they had a desire to defect they said they hadn't.  

However, the JCS says the wooden ship, which appears to be a vessel operated by North Korea's military, was found in waters where no other fishing boats were operating and directly headed toward the South at a consistent speed.

The JCS official also said that while one crew member was wearing a military uniform, it’s still unconfirmed if he is an active-duty soldier.

[Photo : YONHAP News]