Two North Korean fishermen who "accidentally defected" to South Korea have now spent more time in limbo than any other reluctant defectors in the history of the two nations.

The two men were picked up by a South Korean naval patrol on March 7 in the Yellow Sea. Apparently, wind and strong currents pushed their fishing boat over the Northern Limit Line (NLL) close to Eocheong Island, off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula.

There are no indications that the two men were intending to defect, and they have both repeatedly expressed their desire to return to North Korea during questioning by South Korean military and intelligence agencies.

Their stay in South Korea is now well into its third month, longer than any other loyal North Koreans who had requested repatriation. Dozens of others before them have found it relatively straightforward to make the return journey. This time, however, North Korea has refused to pick up the phone.

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"North Korea has decided — and stated — that it wants to have absolutely no communications with the South, no matter what," said Andrei Lankov, a professor of history and international relations at Seoul's Kookmin University.

The........

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