A South Korean maritime police vessel crossed the inter-Korean sea border on the East Sea (Sea ofJapan) late Thursday to the scene where a South Korean cargo vessel sank and started rescue work, reported South Korean Yonhap News Agency.

Earlier Thursday, the South Korean cargo ship sank in international waters, about 260 kilometers northeast of Jeojin, Gangwon Province on South Korea's east coast. Jeojin located some 250 kilometers northeast of Seoul.

As the scene is closer to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), South Korea asked Pyongyang's approval to let its rescuing vessel to take a short cut.

The DPRK side gave a green light to South Korea's request earlier Thursday after receiving information about the sunken ship.

It is the first time that a South Korean patrol boat has been officially allowed by DPRK to sail into its waters.

The 2,826-ton South Korean cargo ship, carrying iron frames, was heading to Qingdao, China, after departing Vladivostok, Russia,when it went down in high waves.

Four crewmembers were rescued by a Russian ship passing by, while the other 14 were still listed as missing, Yonhap quoted maritime police as saying.

According to South Korean maritime police, the ship's 18 crewmen included nine from South Korea, one from China and eight from Vietnam. Moreover, a consulate in China's Consulate General in Seoul confirmed one Chinese Korean was among the missing.

Source: Xinhua