South Korea's unification ministry says it is seeking North Korea's help to find a missing seaman near the two countries' border on the east coast.
The request was sent via a text message to South Korean reporters because there is no active communication line with the North, according to the ministry in charge of handling inter-Korean affairs.
It said it was directed to North Korea.
"On July 12, a navy seaman went missing while on a coast guard duty on the East Sea, and it seems there is a possibility of being drifted north across the Northern Limit Line," the message said, referring to the coastal border with North Korea.
"As our navy is currently searching for the missing person, we request for co-operation with the search and return from a humanitarian perspective."
The North Korean embassy in London did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment.
The South Korean administration of President Lee Jae-myung has sought to ease tensions with North Korea since taking office last year but its repeated overtures for dialogue have been rebuffed by the North, which declared South Korea as a "hostile country" in 2024.