North Korean ghost ships

Every year, dozens of derelict boats from North Korea wash up on Japanese shores, some carrying the remains of their crew. These "ghost ships" are believed to result whenNorth Koreanfishermen are lost at sea and succumb to exposure orstarvation. The fishermen often have to travel far out to sea to catch fish due to China's overfishing in North Korean waters.
Fishing is a dangerous occupation worldwide; for example, the work-related fatality rate for Australian fisherman in one study was 143 per 100,000man-years, which was 18 times the Australian national average work-related fatality rate.During the winter, North Korean fishing boats go out searching forking crab,squidandsandfish.Some of the boats appear to be either operated by soldiers or rented by the army to civilians.Fish is one of the main exports from North Korea to China.Wreckage from North Korean boats often washes ashore in northern Japan during winter due to seasonal winds.
Ships washing up without living crewmen typically are old, lack powerful modern engines, and have noGPS. A lack of food may play a role in crew death; with little food on board, exposure and starvation can become significant dangers.Sources inWajimasaid the unclaimed bodies are cremated and their ashes stored in aBuddhistcompound. The boats are dismantled, destroyed and incinerated.
Scholars such as John Nilsson-Wright ofChatham Housefind it unlikely that the boats resulted from attempts to defect; given thatSouth Koreahas closer cultural and linguistic ties, and is closer to North Korea by boat than Japan is, defection via Japan rather than South Korea by boat is uncommon.An analyst quoted by theSouth China Morning Postsaid it is unlikely vessels are being used to infiltrate North Korean agents into Japan, as it would be easier for them to use fake passports and put the agents aboard a flight or a ferry ship to Japan.
Fishing boats with living crew have also washed up on Japanese shores. In November 2017, eight North Korean men and a broken boat were found on Japan's northern coast; the men said they had washed ashore after their boat broke down.There are a few, rare, precedents for defectors ending up near Japan. In 1987, eleven defectors drifted from North Korea to west Japan. In 2006, four defectors floated to northern Japan.In September 2011, nine defectors accidentally made a five-day voyage to Japanese waters in a small boat while attempting to travel to South Korea.
Chinese commercial fishermenhave engaged in large-scale squid fishing in North Korean waters in violation of U.N. sanctions which prohibit foreign fishing vessels from fishing in North Korean waters. The Chinese squid fishing fleet in North Korean waters has at times numbered up to 800 vessels and has caused a 70% decline in squid stock in those waters. According to Global Fisheries Watch “This is the largest known case ofillegal fishingperpetrated by a single industrial fleet operating in another nation’s waters.”The decline in the squid stocks as a result of this illegal fishing is also believed to be a contributing factor to the increase in North Korean ghost ships. This is believed to have forced North Korean fishermen to venture further from shore and stay out longer, greatly increasing the risks of an already risky job.The so-called “dark fleet” of Chinese vessels has harvested half a billion dollars worth of squid in North Korean waters since 2017.
North Korean ghost ships have also been reported in the Russian Far East.