The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.More bodies, boats believed to be N Korean, wash up on Japan's coast
By Mari Yamaguchi TOKYO©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
31 Comments
Login to comment
WA4TKG
Figure it out, you’re being INFILTRATED.
No telling what the ones that got to shore are up to.
gogogo
No food in North Korea
sf2k
signs of a desperate nation
Yubaru
I hope that this is not the start of something much worse. With winter coming on fast, these fishermen in dilapidated boats are going to be hard pressed to catch anything, AND return home!
Fear is a huge motivating factor I am sure, hell of a choice, death by drowning, or death back home for not meeting a quota....not much of a choice.
Tokyo-Engr
Poor souls. May they rest in peace. These men are mere pawns to serve a brutal dictator. I wonder what happens to their families left behind in such cases.
RealCDN
Looks like the remains of a Viking langskip to me. OMG - it's the Vikings!
Bintaro
If half of the "agents" die, and the other half is caught, that would be a pretty lame attempt at infiltration.
puregaijin
Rest In Peace guys. The price some must pay for freedom. These guys died free, however shortlived the freedom was. Sucks man.
Simian Lane
Becoming all too common now. We need some of those Baywatch staff with the red thingymajigs running up and down that stretch of West coast.
Cricky
Yesterday people were complaining about North Korean Fishermen pilfering electronic goods from an uninhibited island, turns out these fishermen are dying just to get food. A fish an oven toaster who wants to die over either.
papigiulio
Damn, imagine how cold it must be on those kind of boats at sea. Obviously they rather face the harsh cold weather than live in NK, that must give you an idea on how horrible life there is.
BeerDeliveryGuy
Dozens of these boats drift ashore every winter when the west wind blows.
This is only news because of the recent focus on NK.
Infiltration boats are epuipped with multiple engines, rear deployment hatches, machine gun turrets, and can outrun even the fastest patrol boats, which also happens several times a year.
WA4TKG
Goodlucktoyou
I wonder why they are so desperate? Surely if they need food, they can trade with any country in the world? They have resources and young workers. Is somebody doing something bad to these poor people?
kurisupisu
Japanese officials said the 10 are being investigated for possible theft, while the other eight are expected to be sent home via China.
It's not very compassionate to charge people dictated to under a dictatorial regime and forced to take to the sea with theft...,
OssanAmerica
I doubt these are "infiltration" boats. I agree with BeerDeliveryGuy cause I saw the NORK spy boat captured by the JCG on display at the maritime museum in Odaiba years ago. Had all sorts of trick compartments. Plus it was a steel hull unlike the pieces of garbage these fishermen have to use. Plus if I understand correctly, the North Koreans have been asking to be sent back, so they didn't "escape" the Workers' Paradise.
GW
The reason they ""want"" to go back is because IF they don't there will be severe repercussions for others still in NK!
OssanAmerica
I am sure that whatever happens to them for this crime under Japanese law is a lot nicer than what would happen to them under North Korean law.
tango6467
Looks like a North Korean Naval Vessel.
Sorry couldn't resist morbid dark humor considering these people are trying to escape a totalitarian dictatorship.
Laguna
Was gonna joke about how NK had finally discovered an export item, but many of the compassionate comments above reminded me of how tragic this is.
Goodlucktoyou
@tango.
NK has possibly nuke armed subs and very high teck attack craft. they can sink a battle group. it is nice to sometimes joke about this serious situation as a means of escape, but...germany reunified so try to think, push, for a happy ending.
OssanAmerica
I think you are giving them far too much credit.
Civitas Sine Suffragio
What about the reports of "doomsday sleeper agents" being landed via boats in Japan with biowarfare devices to be unleashed if NK is attacked? Nukes are not the only threat here folks...
BeerDeliveryGuy
Like I said earlier, “infiltration” and operative boats are built with steel hills, rear deployment hatches, weapons emplacements, and multiple engines to outrun the coast guard. They resemble a South American drug cartel smuggling speedboat (which regularly outrun the US coast guard and Navy) more than a fishing boat or military craft and are a completely different issue from these wooden fishing boats that wash ashore by the dozen every winter.
Goodlucktoyou
Nobody knows what is going on. To smuggle cells, so easy.wooden boats. But as @beer-san says...attack craft are a different league. They are scary.
Slickdrifter
Poor souls just looking for a better life and hot meal. The Kim regime really needs to end.
kurisupisu
"What about the reports of "doomsday sleeper agents" being landed via boats in Japan with biowarfare devices to be unleashed if NK is attacked? Nukes are not the only threat here folks..."
What about the 'proof' of this ?
Until then, just rumors and nothing else..,,,
tokyocrawler
Sounds like people abandoning a sinking country...i wonder if they are actually fishermen at all or have paid someone for the chance to escape in a boat....just like the people heading for europe and risking life and limb to do so. Just the start im sure...
nandakandamanda
The group which pilfered good from that island and are being held on board their boat have DPRK army handbooks apparently.
Chop Chop
kurisupisu. Anything is possible.