On May 8, a DPRK gunboat hijacked three boats with 28 Chinese fishermen onboard. Chinese authorities subsequently demanded that the DPRK ensure the safety and legitimate rights and interests of the fishermen.

After consultations, on May 21 DPRK freed the detained fishermen and their vessels. Full Story
　

     Timeline of Chinese and the DPRK standoff

May 22 Twenty-eight Chinese fishermen have returned home after being detained by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for 13 days. Full Story

May 21 Chinese fishermen return home following 13 days of detention by DPRK boat. Full Story

May 18 DPRK urged to guarantee rights of fishermen. Full Story

May 17 China is in close contact with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on the recent detainment of three Chinese fishing boats, FMspokesman Hong Lei.  Full Story

May 11--May 16 It was reported that the men initially demanded payment of 400,000 yuan ($63,200) for each boat before lowering their request to 300,000 yuan, and they even set a deadline of May 17.  Full Story

May 9 Unidentified North Koreans have detained 29 Chinese fishermen from three boats and are demanding payment for their release.

May 8 Upon verification, a total of 28 fishermen were detained. The previous report put the number at 29, as one fisherman left the vessel due to seasickness before it was detained, which the owner of the vessel did not know. Full Story

May 8 A North Korean gunboat is reported to have seized several Chinese fishing boats, with a total of 29 people  onboard, in the Yellow Sea on May 8.
　

     The DPRK view: Set up a long-standing friendship with China

"As China has a long-standing friendship with DPRK, we will properly handle this incident on the basis of bilateral friendly ties," said an official of DPRK's Foreign Ministry to Global Times.

"DPRK's consular officials are keeping close contact with the Chinese embassy." said the official.

On May 21, the DPRK's Foreign Ministry announced that the detained fishermen and their vessels had been freed. Full Story

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China demanded the DPRK ensure the safety and legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese fishermen. Full Story

China will not allow any misbehavior by North Korea. There is no special room between China and North Korea. North Korea should respect China's every concrete interest, especially the lives and property of Chinese citizens. Full Story