Seoul sends rescued North Koreans back

seoul - South Korea has eight North Koreans and two boats transferred to the neighboring country. They were rescued last week after being struck at sea adrift. All crew members, some of whom showed frostbite, expressed their wish to return. The government in Pyongyang responded initially to the repatriation plan Monday but still sent patrol ships to the boundary waters to pick them up.

One of the vessels was in trouble had already sailed in September, the other in November. Surely a man would have deceased aboard the hunger, but possibly more.

The relationship of Seoul with the communist North is extremely cool after two nuclear tests and several test launches of ballistic missiles.