South Korea’s military intercepted a small wooden boat carrying four North Korean nationals that had crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) last week, officials confirmed Thursday, raising fresh questions about inter-Korean repatriation procedures.

“Four people were on board the boat,” Col. Lee Kyung-ho, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, told NK News on Thursday.

The ROK navy detected the vessel on May 27 after it crossed the NLL in the East Sea and handed the four individuals over to the appropriate authorities. The defense ministry said the operation was carried out