DPRK says yet to share information on seized S. Korean fishing boat

SEOUL, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Friday it is yet to share any information on a South Korean fishing boat towed into the DPRK territory after crossing the maritime border on Thursday.

The message was given by the DRPK during a cross-border phone call held Friday morning, Unification Ministry spokesperson Lee Jong-joo said.

They said they have no information to give at the moment and that they will further update it with the South Korean government, Lee added.

The 29-ton squid-fishing boat, named "800 Yonan," was carrying four crew members when it crossed and advanced 13 km into the Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean maritime border, at 5:05 a.m. Thursday (2005 GMT Wednesday).

According to the South Korean government, the boat is presumed to be either without a satellite navigation device or having malfunctioning problems in the device, if they had any.

The incident marks the third time since 2005 when a South Korean fishing boat named "Hwangman" was seized by DPRK authorities.

In December 2006, a South Korean vessel named "Woojin" was also hauled into the DPRK territory after crossing the border.

The two previous boats were released after nearly three and 18 days, respectively, according to local media.