Seoul: North Korea has detained a South Korean fishing boat that went missing in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), Seoul`s Yonhap news agency said Sunday, amid high tensions between the two countries.
A coastguard spokesman said he had no information on the report but confirmed the boat was missing.
The seizure, if confirmed, could further inflame tensions after months of angry exchanges over the sinking in March of a South Korean warship, which Seoul blames on Pyongyang.
Yonhap quoted a unidentified coastguard official in South Korea`s western port of Incheon as saying the boat -- with four South Koreans and three Chinese aboard -- was detained by the North`s authorities.
South Korea`s military was Sunday continuing a major exercise in the Yellow Sea designed to send a warning to the North following the warship attack.
The North denies involvement in the warship sinking and has threatened retaliation for what it calls a provocative military exercise.
Bureau Report
