Seoul: South Korea on Tuesday called on North Korea to respond to its plan to repatriate the remains of a North Korean national found on the southern side of the inter-Korean maritime border. The remains were discovered on the shore of Seongmodo, an island in the Yellow Sea near the border, on June 21.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean government intends to return the remains to North Korea next Tuesday via the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom. Koo urged North Korea to respond through the inter-Korean communication line, emphasizing the humanitarian and fraternal perspectives behind the decision to transfer the body and his belongings.

A certificate found on the body identified it as belonging to a man born in 1988, a farm worker from North Korea's North Hwanghae Province. The remains are currently being kept at a local hospital. The circumstances leading to his body being found in South Korean territory remain unclear, although there have been 29 similar cases in the past, most of which were returned to the North via Panmunjom.

South Korea will wait for a response from North Korea until next Tuesday. If no response is received by then, officials say the body will be classified as unclaimed and cremated in the South. This call for a response comes as North Korea remains unresponsive to the new Lee Jae Myung administration's efforts to restore inter-Korean communication lines and resume dialogue.

Earlier this month, South Korea repatriated six North Korean fishermen who were rescued on the southern side of the maritime border in March and May. Despite initial silence, North Korea eventually sent vessels to the border to receive them without any prior communication.