Three Bangladeshis, who were detained in South Korea, have been released and are expected to return Dhaka on Wednesday, says the foreign ministry.
Bangladesh nationals Ismail Sheikh, Tirtho Chakraborty and Arifuzzaman, crew members of North Korean vessel ‘Talent Ace’, were detained along with seven Myanmar and six Chinese nationals on Mar 19.
Sheikh was the junior officer of the coal-carrying vessel while Chakraborty and Arifuzzaman were the second officer and fourth engineer respectively.
Following the seizure of the vessel, which was being unloaded at the South Korean port of Gunsan, authorities immediately notified the Bangladesh embassy in Seoul.
The foreign ministry statement said that the Bangladesh nationals were handed over to the mission in Seoul on Tuesday (May 8).
They boarded a Thai Airways flight on Wednesday and expected to reach Dhaka the same day, it said.