The Korea Coast Guard has reportedly arrested a man who was attempting to cross the inter-Korean border by sea. 

According to a government source on Friday, a man presumed to be in his 40s stole a boat docked at a port on Baengnyeong Island, one of the five northwestern islands in the West Sea, on Wednesday evening. 

The man struggled to start the engine of the vessel as it ran out of fuel and was arrested the next morning. He was found sleeping in the boat after its owner reported it missing. 

The man reportedly told coast guard officers that he stole the ship to cross into the North. He was known to have previously made an attempt to cross the inter-Korean border from Paju, Gyeonggi Province. 

His motive for attempting to cross into the North remains unknown.