N. Korean 'ghost ship' with 7 bodies runs ashore in Japan

Japanese authorities recovered seven corpses, allegedly of North Korean fishermen, as another "ghost ship" from the country ran ashore along the western coast of Japan, the police said on Tuesday.

The fishing boat was discovered on January 10 along the Kanazawa coast, although authorities could only inspect the boat on Monday owing to strong currents, a local police spokesperson told Efe news agency.

Although the corpses could not be identified, the police believe them to be of North Korean fishermen, since the wooden boat was carrying a badge with a picture of Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea.

Apart from the seven highly decomposed bodies, the authorities also found an eighth corpse nearby, although its origin or identity has not been established yet, according to the spokesperson.

In 2017, 104 North Korean ghost ships with a total of 35 corpses, had run ashore in Japan.

Some experts believe tougher economic sanctions against North Korea owing to its repeated weapons tests, along with a bad winter harvest, might have led the fishermen to venture away from North Korean waters in search of a good seafood catch.

--IANS

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