Russia is holding 161 suspected North Korean poachers who were detained in the Sea of Japan on Tuesday after one of the boats they were on attacked a Russian patrol, the state-run RIA news agency said on Wednesday.
A Russian border patrol discovered two North Korean schooners and 11 motorboats fishing illegally off its far eastern coast on Tuesday and detained the first vessel, prompting the second one to open fire, RIA quoted Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) as saying.
Some of the detained North Koreans were wounded, the FSB said.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it will summon North Korea's top diplomatic representative in Moscow following the detention.
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