Boats Full Of Dead People From North Korea Wash Up On Japan's Shore
Boats containing dozens of dead bodies have mysteriously washed up on Japan's shores over the past few weeks. While Japanese authorities have yet to definitely pinpoint the origins of these "ghost ships," all evidence suggests that they are from North Korea.
Around 15 boats containing at least 40 bodies have been found washed up along Japan's west coast since November. The latest discovery was made last Thursday when authorities found two skeletons near an upturned boat near the western city of Oga.
Most of the discoveries have been gruesome with authorities reportedly finding skulls and decaying bodies suggesting that the boats have been adrift for some time. No living crew has been found among the recovered derelict vessels however, their occupants' did provide clues as to their origins.
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One of the boats, found on the island of Sado around Nov. 26, contained what appeared to be North Korean cigarette packets and jackets with Korean writing on them. Another two bodies, recovered from another boat in Yamagata prefecture last Tuesday, appeared to be wearing pins showing the face of the late Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
This isn't the first time North Korean vessels washed up on Japan's shores. According to Satoru Miyamoto, a political science and economics professor at Japan's Seigakuin University, over 200 such "ghost ships" drifted to the island nation between 2013 and 2016 citing to statistics provided by Japan Coast Guard.
This year alone, at least 76 vessels have showed up with a considerable number of their occupants being found dead. These occurrences often occur toward the end of the year where the bad weather is at its most dangerous especially for people heading out to sea in old boats and equipment.
"North Korea pushes so hard for its people to gather more fish so that they can make up their food shortages." Seo Yu Suk, a research manager at the North Korean Studies Institution in Seoul told Reuters. "These rickety vessels are unsuitable for the rough seas of the Sea of Japan in autumn, and one imagines that far more are capsizing that we will never know about."
Kim Il Sung's ideology of "juche" placed state policies above the country's people despite economic hardships. The country recently suffered a major drought damaging its capacity to produce food for its citizens.
