【英语中国】朝鲜扣留韩国渔船 上有三名中国人

North Korea on Sunday seized a South Korean fishing boat and its seven-person crew in waters off the North's east coast, but the exact location and circumstances weren't known, the South's coast guard said.

Such incidents occur periodically between the two Koreas, which are bordered on multiple sides by water and have sizable fishing industries. Last year, North Korea detained a South Korean fishing vessel crew for a month for allegedly straying into northern-controlled waters.

With so few details available, South Korean authorities aren't able to determine whether the latest incident is tied to the broader political tension between the two countries, which has been elevated since the sinking of a South Korean warship in March near their maritime border in the waters on the west side of the Korean peninsula.

South Korea in late May formally accused North Korea of sinking its ship, resulting in the death of 46 sailors. North Korea has denied responsibility and objected to South Korea's efforts to penalize it.

In the new incident, the South Korean fishing boat was taken to the North Korean city of Songjin, which is more than halfway up the coastline that stretches from South Korea to Russia.

The boat's crew included four South Koreans and three Chinese. The vessel departed from Pohang, South Korea, on Aug. 1 and was scheduled to return Sept. 10. The South Korean government issued a statement calling for a speedy return of the fishing boat and its crew.

The seizure occurred much farther north than last year's episode, which happened in July right around the inter-Korean maritime border on the eastern side of the Korean peninsula.

《华尔街日报》─据韩国海岸警卫队说，朝鲜周日在朝鲜东部海岸附近的水域扣留了一艘韩国渔船及其船上的七名船员，但具体事发地点和相关情况还未可知。

朝韩间不时发生此类事件，两国有多处水域交界，也都有相当规模的渔业。去年，朝鲜就将一名韩国渔船船员扣留了一个月，称其闯入了朝鲜控制的水域。

由于可掌握的细节太少，韩国方面无法确定这起最新的事件是否与两国的政治紧张局势有关。这一局势自3月份韩国天安号战舰在韩国海上边界附近沉没之后开始升级。

韩国5月底正式就这一导致46人死亡的沉船事件对朝鲜提出指控。朝鲜则否认对此事负责，并反对韩国试图对其进行惩罚的做法。

在这起最新的事件中，韩国渔船被带至朝鲜金策市，该市位于韩国至俄罗斯海岸沿线的中点更加以北的位置。

船上的船员包括四名韩国人和三名中国人。它于8月1日从韩国浦项出发，原定9月10日返航。韩国政府已发布声明，要求迅速归还被扣船只及船员。

这次事件的发生地与去年相比要更加靠北的多，去年7月时的那次正好发生在朝鲜半岛东侧朝韩间水域交界处周围。