STORY: At the time of the deportation, the government of then president Moon Jae-in called the fishermen "dangerous criminals" who had killed colleagues in a fight over an abusive captain on their ship before crossing the sea border.

South Korea's presidential office on Wednesday also denounced the repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in 2019 as a potential "crime against humanity" by the previous government.

Human rights activists have condemned the repatriation, and a U.N. investigator said South Korea had probably violated the men's rights.

While their fate has not been confirmed, there was an expectation their rights would be violated when they were turned over to North Korean authorities, a U.N. rights official said during a visit to Seoul last month.

by Sharon Liufau 

sharonliufau@gmail.com