The Wonsan Kalma resort was opened in a grand ceremony last month by North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, who hailed it as a "world-class tourist and cultural destination". The details of how this resort was built have been shrouded in secrecy in a country largely closed to the outside world.

Thus far, however, he has said comparatively little about the growing strength of the Kim regime in North Korea, leading some analysts to suggest the administration is neglecting one of the most critical security issues in Asia.

The fishermen’s boats had drifted into South Korean waters, officials said. The South’s new president has been trying to improve ties with North Korea.

A North Korean defector is filing civil and criminal charges against the country's leader Kim Jong Un for abuses she faced while detained in the country. Choi Min-kyung fled the North to China in 1997 but was forcibly repatriated in 2008. She said she was sexually abused and tortured after her return.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he wants the luxury resort on the eastern seacoast to become a "world destination," but the country has been reluctant to allow in foreign tourists.

Washington has said the treatment of Glavprodukt, the only U.S. company Moscow has seized, will influence a planned reset of U.S.-Russia relations.