North Korean ghost ships

, North Korea, as seen from Dandong, China. Fishing is a dangerous occupation worldwide; for example, the work-related fatality rate for Australian fishermen in one study was 143 per 100,000 man-hours, which was 18 times the Australian national average work-related fatality rate. During the winter, North Korean fishing boats go out searching for king crab, squid and sandfish. Some of the boats appear to be either operated by soldiers or rented by the army to civilians. Wreckage from North Korean boats often washes ashore in northern Japan during winter due to seasonal winds. Fishing boats with living crew have also washed up on Japanese shores. In November 2017, eight North Korean men and a broken boat were found on Japan's northern coast; the men said they had washed ashore after their boat broke down. There are a few, rare, precedents for defectors ending up near Japan. In 1987, eleven defectors drifted from North Korea to west Japan. In 2006, four defectors floated to northern Japan. In September 2011, nine defectors accidentally made a five-day voyage to Japanese waters in a small boat while attempting to travel to South Korea. The decline in the squid stocks as a result of this illegal fishing is also believed to be a contributing factor to the increase in North Korean ghost ships. This is believed to have forced North Korean fishermen to venture further from shore and stay out longer, greatly increasing the risks of an already risky job. The so-called “dark fleet” of Chinese vessels has harvested half a billion dollars' worth of squid in North Korean waters since 2017. ==Statistics==

• 2011 – First year for which official data is available from the Japanese Coast Guard; the counts from previous years may be similar, but no pre-2011 data is currently available. 57 boats reported in 2011; number of bodies is not disclosed. Most are believed to be North Korean in origin, due to the typical lettering, the primitive nature of the boats, and occasionally other clues; however, it cannot be ruled out that some of the boats could be from South Korea or elsewhere. • 2012 – 47 boats reported. • 2016 – Around 24 boats reported to reach the Japanese coast, according to Fox News. Sky News reported 66 or more boats, including boats found drifting off the coast. • 2017 – A record 104 boats with at least 31 bodies (and at least 42 survivors) were reported, including a 22-foot wooden boat containing eight skeletonized bodies found in late November. Analysts quoted by Fox News attributed the increase in North Korean ghost ships to North Korean food shortages and to mounting sanctions against Kim Jong Un. • 2019 – At least 156 boats were reported. In one case, seven bodies washed up on the island of Sado on December 28, 2019. North Korean ghost ships have also been reported in the Russian Far East. ==See also==