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Saturday, July 14, 2018

An empty wooden boat was pulled onto the Japan shore Saturday believed to have originated from North Korea as a means of fleeing from the North Korean government. When referring to these wooden vessels, Japanese officials coined the phrase “ghost ship” since they often contained no living crew.

The most current ghost ship was originally spotted capsized at 17:30 (0830 UTC) Wednesday near Matsumae-cho, Japan. Thursday morning, local divers inspected the vessel, which had drifted 50 m (164 ft) from the original position, found no living or dead individuals, writings, or defining marks. Japanese officials investigated further when the boat was brought on shore Saturday.

Under closer inspection, the color and design of the 8 m (28 ft) vessel provided circumstantial links to other ghost ships with stronger evidence of a North Korean origin. For example, two deceased individuals were discover, one carrying a patch of the deceased North Korean leader Kim Il-sung. Another ghost ship had a North Korean cigaret container, and other ships had trace writings.

Japan began keeping statistics for ghost ships starting in 2013. Accordingly statistics from 2017-18 allege, 114 ghost ships, with 43 deceased individuals recovered, and 42 individuals rescued in route. The deceased individuals, if identified as North Korean, are repatriated at a formal boarder crossing transversing the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un nor other officials have issued statements by suppressing media domestically and not formally recognizing the activity internationally. The Japanese Coast Guard and international maritime community have found ghost ships, and in some cases are able to rescue the occupants.

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