North Korea today released a South Korean boat and seven crew seized last month for alleged illegal fishing. A coastguard spokesman said the 41-tonne squid fishing boat and its crew of four South Koreans and three Chinese were en route to their home port of Sokcho on the northeast coast.The North's navy detained the boat on August 8, saying the crew were operating in its exclusive economic zone. Yesterday North Korea announced that it would release the boat as a humanitarian gesture. Meanwhile, qa report says, North Korea has asked for rice and cement aid from South Korea before announcing the release of a South Korean boat seized last month for illegal fishing. Yonhap news agency today said the request for rice, cement and heavy construction equipment was made on Saturday to the South's Red Cross through its North Korean counterpart. A spokeswoman for Seoul's unification ministry said she was checking the report. Cross-border relations have been icy since Seoul accused Pyongyang of torpedoing of one its warships in March, killing 46 people. However, the South's Red Cross has offered the North aid worth 8.3 million dollars following severe floods.