DPRK nationals board an ROK's naval vessel upon their return to the DPRK at a naval base in Incheon, west of Seoul March 27, 2011. The ROK repatriated on Sunday 27 DPRK nationals whose boat drifted into the ROK's waters last month, the ROK's Red Cross said, ending a row which threatened to further damage relations between the two Koreas. Four DPRK nationals who had also been aboard the fishing boat decided to stay in the ROK, prompting the diplomatic dispute. [Photo/Agencies]

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK) on Sunday repatriated a group of Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) nationals whose boat strayed into the ROK's waters early last month.

Twenty-seven of 31 DPRK men and women on a wooden fishing boat were handed over to the DPRK authorities north of the disputed western maritime border at 12:55 am local time, according to the unification ministry in Seoul.

Four DPRK nationals who the Seoul authorities said have expressed their wish to remain in the ROK were not sent back, despite initial rejection from Pyongyang.

The repatriation came days after the two Koreas agreed to the return of only 27 of the 31 people due to bad weather and malfunction of the boat.