Key facts
- South Korea has requested North Korea's help to find a missing navy seaman.
- The seaman went missing on July 12 while on coast guard duty.
- The individual may have drifted north across the Northern Limit Line.
- The request was made via text message due to a lack of active communication lines.
- South Korea cited humanitarian reasons for the request.
South Korea has requested assistance from North Korea in locating a missing navy seaman who may have drifted across the border. The unification ministry, responsible for inter-Korean affairs, sent the request via text message to reporters on Sunday, as there are no active communication lines with Pyongyang.
The seaman went missing on July 12 while on coast guard duty on the East Sea, and there is a possibility that the individual drifted north across the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas. South Korea's navy is currently conducting its own search.
"As our navy is currently searching for the missing person, we request for cooperation with the search and return from a humanitarian perspective," the ministry's message stated.
The administration of President Lee Jae Myung has aimed to ease tensions with North Korea since taking office last year, but Pyongyang has rebuffed these overtures and declared South Korea a "hostile nation" in 2024.