The Unification Ministry says two North Korean men have defected to South Korea by crossing the East Sea in a small boat.

A ministry official told reporters Thursday the Korean Coast Guard spotted the wooden vessel some 100 kilometers north of the Dokdo islets at around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. The official said that two men on board expressed intentions to defect.

The official said the two defectors are not very old and appeared to have spent a lot of time stranded at sea.

They are being questioned as part of the defection process.