The South Korean Coast Guard and Navy are said to have rescued three North Korean boats drifting in South Korea's exclusive economic zone(EEZ) in the East Sea earlier this week.

A Seoul official said Thursday that a total of eight North Korean sailors aboard the three boats all expressed their intentions to return to the North, adding the government is seeking ways to contact Pyongyang to discuss their repatriation.

When a North Korean boat is spotted adrift in South Korean waters, the government usually repairs the boat and hands it over to the North Korean authorities near the maritime border in the Yellow Sea.

It was made known that the North Korean sailors had been adrift on the broken boats for up to two months with little food and water. At least one North Korean sailor is said to have starved to death.