Seven South Korean fishermen are on their way home on Tuesday to be reunited with their families anxiously waiting.

They were freed after being held in a North Korea jail for a month for illegally entering the North's waters.

Family members of the crew gathered the port to greet their fathers, brothers and sons after a month of separation.

[Kim Hyun-soo, Released Captain's Son]:
"Firstly I need to see my father's face. I am still abstracted. I'm not sure if it's real. I have to see him in person... I want to ask if he feels sick and I want to hug him."

Pyongyang said the boat was intercepted on August 8 while fishing in waters off its east coast.