South Korea asks North to help search for missing navy sailor

South Korea asked the North on Sunday to help search for and return a missing navy sailor believed to have drifted across the de facto inter-Korean maritime border.

The request follows reports that the sailor went missing on Sunday morning while a vessel was on patrol off South Korea's eastern coast near the Northern Limit Line (NLL).



"A sailor aboard a South Korean navy vessel conducting a security mission in the East Sea went missing on the morning of Jul 12 and is believed to have drifted north of the NLL," Seoul's Unification Ministry said in a brief statement provided to AFP, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.



The sailor holds the rank of seaman apprentice, Yonhap News Agency reported.



Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back also instructed officials to "make every effort to rescue the missing serviceman as quickly and safely as possible".



The appeal comes as President Lee Jae Myung has sought to ease tensions with the nuclear-armed North by pursuing dialogue and confidence-building measures after years of strained relations.