In an unexpected move, North Korea said Thursday that it will release six South Koreans it has been holding in detention, according to South Korean officials. The move could potentially help ease the persistent hostility between the two nations.
The Red Cross of North Korea told South Korea that the six would be returned on Friday at the border village of Panmunjom, according to The New York Times.
The identities of the detainees have not been released. The ministry said they are South Korean men between the ages of 27 and 67. It is unclear how long they have been in North Korea, or why they were there.
In February 2010, Pyongyang said that it was holding four South Koreans for illegal entry, but did not respond to Seoul's request to have them identified and released. This June, the North said it was holding "several" South Koreans for illegal entry, but did not give any details about the detainees.
Thousands of South Koreans, mostly fishermen, have been taken and detained in the North in the years since the Korean War. More than 500 of these men have not returned, although Pyongyang denies holding them against their will.
The Unification Ministry of South Korea welcomed the news on Thursday. "Although it is belated, we consider it a good thing that the North has decided to take this humanitarian measure," the Ministry said. "We will get custody of our six citizens, verify their identities and find out how and why they entered the North."
North Korea has been sending conflicting messages in recent weeks, some conciliatory, and others less civil. In mid-September, South Korean vehicles crossed into the North to work on a jointly run industrial park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong. The complex has been abandoned since April when North Korea withdrew its workers after tensions arose due to the North's most recent nuclear test.
But after the complex opened, North Korea postponed the resumption of a humanitarian program in which families divided by the Korean War could hold reunions. The North postponed the program because of what they called the "reckless and vicious confrontational racket" of the conservative government of Park Geun-hye, the South Korean president.
This month, North Korea told Ms. Park to "watch her mouth" and threatened to "rain fire" on the South after South Korean leaders said the North's maintenance of its nuclear arms program would not be possible while also attempting to revamp the economy. The North also put is military on high alert this month and warned the U.S. of "disastrous consequences" for moving warships into a South Korean port for a military exercise.
Yet, North Korea is allowing South Korean officials to visit the Kaesong complex next week. North Korea wants to expand the complex, where low-paid workers make labor-intensive goods such as shoes and textiles. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un aims to use the complex to attract more foreign investment and improve living standards for North Koreans.
However, the South is skeptical of expanding the project due to the prospect of another shutdown, and wants to allow non-Korean investment in the complex.