North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shown in a front-page photo in the Dec. 15, 2016, edition of the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper during a visit to inspect a military fishery station after it reportedly made a large haul. (Screenshot from Rodong Sinmun)
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea rescued eight North Korean fishermen who had been adrift at sea for weeks, the government said Thursday, adding that all asked to go home.
Three fishing boats — which had embarked from North Korea in mid-September, mid-November and late November, respectively — were found off South Korea’s east coast earlier this week, the Unification Ministry said.
The eight fishermen all wanted to return to North Korea because of concern for their families and other reasons, but officials had been unable to reach the North to arrange their trip home, ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said during a regular news briefing.
He said other crew members — fewer than 10 — were believed to have died based on statements from the others, but no bodies had been found.
North Korea had not responded to several efforts to contact it via various channels, including the Panmunjom truce village and Yellow Sea military communication lines.
“We will send a message again to the North later in the day,” Jeong said. “After taking into account weather conditions, we plan to send them back home on Monday.”
The ships apparently suffered from engine malfunctions and one had apparently collided with a Chinese fishing boat, Jeong said, without providing more details. One ship was deemed irreparable and was destroyed at sea, while the other two were towed to harbor, he said.
North Korean sailors have been discovered drifting at sea in the past, but the rescues on Sunday and Monday were unusual in scope.
Jeong said it appeared to stem from a push by the North Korean regime to develop the fishing industry because exports are a source of hard currency.
“North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has issued a rare order to spur the fisheries sector in the winter time,” he said.
Underscoring the point, the North Korean leader was shown inspecting the army’s Fishery Station No. 15 in photos published Thursday in official media.
The recently renovated fishery station had “made an unprecedentedly big fish haul,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported. Kim said he “felt relieved of his pent-up fatigue after being told that 200 grams of fish can be supplied to each soldier every day until September next year with fish in storage.”
Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Chang contributed to this report.
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