national

N Korean boats off Japan spark spy scare, but some say they are just luckless fishermen

29 Comments
By Kiyoshi Takenaka

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© (c) Thomson Reuters 2017.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

29 Comments
Login to comment

The spys and sleeper agents are already here, in my educated but as yet unsubstantiated opinion

11 ( +15 / -4 )

The spys and sleeper agents are already here, in my educated but as yet unsubstantiated opinion

What is the education behind that educated opinion?

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

The country is full of NK agents and sleeper cells, as demonstrated by the brainwashed flag wavers at the airport, the propaganda schools, and the disturbing NK apologists on JT.

Every last one should be investigated for their orders and then sent packing back to their beloved motherland where the gulag awaits them.

No more NKs should be accepted until the Kim regime is eliminated

-1 ( +9 / -10 )

 ...raising fears about infiltration by spies as tension with North Korea surges.

They're starving, fishing, and unfortunately dying. (Also, desperately stealing any scrap of metal they can get their hands on.)

If NK really want to increase spying, they have thousands of pro-Pyongyang individuals already in this country they can recruit.

16 ( +16 / -0 )

As I've said before I don't "think" these are NK intelligence operatives. However;

was a square plate attached to the boat reading: "Korean People's Army, No. 854 military unit" in Korean script.Police and the coast guard questioning the crew declined to comment.

If the boat is NK military and the crew refuse to speak then legally they can be and should treated as "spies" until they decide to cooperate and identify themselves.

"Fish are like bullets and artillery shells," it said.

LOL. Is belligerence like the national pastime in North Korea?

7 ( +12 / -5 )

South Korea and North Korea must be united someday under the agreement that China will not interfere and U.S. Forces withdraw from South Korea. That is the best solution for the peace of this area. It is not a bad deal for South Korea.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Spies - more beat up stuff from the media and govt.

As Speed said - with the 1,000s of NK citizens living legally in Japan, acquainted with everything Japan has, why on earth at a time of heightened tensions and eyes on the coastline, would "spies" be sent in delapidated boats barely able to make the crossing - obviously many don't and lots of folks die.  And why would spies steal anything not locked down - oh.... including locked down stuff, like door locks, hinges and handles for scrap metal value.? Why?

Just more fear-mongering that the baddies are coming.

If the govt was really serious about hurting NK, an easy thing to do, would be to come down on all the NK affiliated pachinko groups, remmitting billions back to the homeland. But that would probably step on the toes of all the politicians with connections to the said industry and the 1,000s of retired police who work in that industry.

So keep the spin spinning. Kowaiiii da yo!

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Hasn't this post been repeated here about 3 times this week?

Sleeper cells?

it's a slow news week....

4 ( +5 / -1 )

It seems if NK was sending their citizens to spy on Japan, they would provide a little better equipment to get them there ALIVE. Dead agents provide little information of value.

Just athought!

8 ( +8 / -0 )

South Korea and North Korea must be united someday under the agreement that China will not interfere and U.S. Forces withdraw from South Korea. That is the best solution for the peace of this area. It is not a bad deal for South Korea.

No, it's the best solution for North Korea because then they would be free to invade the South and take over the peninsula, which is what Kim Jung Un openly wants to accomplish. That is the only 'solution for peace' that he would accept.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

extanker

I forgot to put it is with the condition that Kim Jung Un is gone. The unification must be done with the leadership of South Korea.  Fortunately China and U.S. are coming closer and it will help the unification.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Aah...the net uyoku army is out again. Cheers.

Yep.

Sorry for the poor fishermen....no doubt extremely hard life in NK and then an end like this. And still they get used for propaganda and political point scoring here. Yep, better pass that Aegis Ashore budget soon dear LDP, that will stop them and we can all feel so much safer. Kaching...

nailed it again brother!!

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

@dcog. Are you suggesting genocide?

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

The NK sleeper cells in Japan are tasked with sabotage missions and “radicalization” of NKorean residents, drug smuggling, obtaining high tech components, etc. Somewhat similar to Al Qaeda or ISIS sleeper cells.

NK has recently restarted their code number broadcasts, indicating an increase in espionage activities.

During the relief work after the Hanshin earthquake, a weapons cache, with weapons ranging from automatic rifles to RPGs, believed to be NKorean was discovered.

Chorgryun(Chosen Souren), has been known to harbor agents, and launder money for NK.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

That being said, these rickety wooden boats are not spy boats.

NK spy boats are built like drug cartel speedboats and have steel or FRP hulls.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Well a fish could be like an artillery shell if frozen and fired from a howitzer...  if a big fish.  What I typically catch would be more like bullets.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

LDP will probably wanna interrogate them and convert them into "double agents" for Japan. Is this the same thing you will do to the refugees eventually coming from North Korea in the future, Japan?? This isn't WW3, and stop think that every North Korean being washed ashore on Japan is an "enemy" of the state!

This will only serve as a catalyst for the current status quo in Asia.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

What are they going to spy on and to whom will they report? Good life, plenty of food, cars, television, and FREEDOM OF SPEECH? Nobody in control in NK will believe them because they are just trying to survive. The best suggestion is to bomb NK with internet ready mobile phones. Get the cheap bid from SK, and drone them over the border at night. Keep the delivery near the border. President Trump is correct; it is time to try something new and bold.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Strikebreaker555Today 12:34 pm JSTLDP will probably wanna interrogate them and convert them into "double agents" for Japan. Is this the same thing you will do to the refugees eventually coming from North Korea in the future, Japan?? This isn't WW3, and stop think that every North Korean being washed ashore on Japan is an "enemy" of the state!

One of the boats has a plaque indicating that it belongs to the Korean Peoples Liberation Army. To date the crew refuse to answer questions and identify themselves. Of course they are going to be interrogated. Any foreigner illegally entering the country would be interrogated. No need to train them as double agents. Plenty of ethnic Koreans in Japan for that.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

"What about the risk of these people, if they are special agents, making a landing just when some military operation is going on?"

Okay, what about the risk? What are you worried about from starving people in rickety boats?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Multiple comments in this thread point to N.K agents or loyal citizens in Japan willing to do the bidding of North Korea.

What I don't understand is why the Japanese government allows them to continue living here. Don't you have some sort counter surveillance that can identify these individuals and kick them out?

Or is the idea to keep them on-board in the hope they can be used against North Korea somehow in the event of war?

I'm curious as to what the thinking actually is.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Don't you have some sort counter surveillance that can identify these individuals and kick them out?

Yes, the NPD has the 公安委員会 Public Safety Bureau. They are tasked with the mundane, such as issuing liscences ranging from motor vehicles to firearms, and the more exciting tasks like deep undercover in the yakuza and extremist groups; foreign and Japanese. They also recruit (nationalized)foreigners for those specific purposes.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Yep, keep stoking the fear of the "other". And nobody does "othering" as well as the Japanese.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

FAKE NEWS! The crew keeps their mouths shut because of the 'uncle" bullets are aimed at their relatives.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

It is the scariest thing for local people in japan. The Korean boats is very pool and it is dangerous to steer a ship on the sea of Japan coast. I hope for the improved the poverty of the N Korean people.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Keep the fear going.

And they say that the DPRK is the master of propaganda?

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

I forgot to put it is with the condition that Kim Jung Un is gone. The unification must be done with the leadership of South Korea. Fortunately China and U.S. are coming closer and it will help the unification.

That's a nice thought, but how do you propose removing him? He's not going to leave peacefully.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

And they say that the DPRK is the master of propaganda?

I'd say its a well-earned title. Feel free to visit, I'm sure they'd welcome you with open arms.

https://nypost.com/2014/07/11/the-mysterious-fake-town-on-north-koreas-border/

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites