Two of four North Korean sailors rescued by the South Korean authorities last week have decided to defect, Seoul’s Ministry of Unification (MOU) announced on Tuesday.

The men’s ship was discovered drifting south of the inter-Korean maritime border on Saturday, and was discovered by a South Korean fishing boat at 0650 local time.

The North Korean vessel was found in the vicinity of the Samcheok port, some 150 kilometers south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL).

“Of their own volition, two expressed their will to defect to South Korea and the two others to… return home,” an MOU official who wished to remain