North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits a military-controlled fish warehouse.[Yonhap News Photo]
North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-un should be blamed for the poor victim of starvation aboard troubled fishing boats which were rescued this week after drifting for up to two months, Seoul officials said Thursday.
Starvation was reported by eight North Korean fishermen who were rescued by South Korean coastguard and naval ships Sunday and Monday aboard three boats drifting separately off South Korea's east coast, the South's unification ministry said.
It's not known how many sailors originally manned the three boats. North Korean fishermen insisted less than 10 fishermen starved death, ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee told reporters.
By all their accounts during an investigation by South Korean security authorities, high waves have swept away the bodies as exhausted survivors were left helpless on the deck, he said.
One boat allegedly left its home port in mid-September and two other boats in November. The three began drifting due to engine trouble, or after colliding with a Chinese vessel, Jeong said.
"This is all based on what they said because no bodies were retrieved," he said, speculating that an unspecified number of sailors appeared to have been missing.
North Korean fishermen have been mobilized for risky operations far from their ports, under an order from Kim who has put a high priority on fishing to earn foreign currency and provide a sustainable source of food in the impoverished country.
Experts say some old and worn-out boats often drift and stray into waters between Japan and South Korea, with fishermen starving to death.
Kim has issued a special order to catch more fish, the spokesman said, adding the leader apparently regards fishing as the main source of hard currency because fishery products account for nearly 10 percent of the North's total exports.
According to Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday, Kim visited a military fishery station, praising its feat to make an "unprecedented big fish haul". Kim was quoted as saying his fatigue was relieved after being told that piles of fish in storage would be supplied to each soldier every day until September next year.
The fishermen rescued by South Korea expressed a desire to go back home, but Pyongyang did not respond to Seoul's proposal for their repatriation, Jeong said, citing the lack of cross-border dialogue. Traditionally, Seoul has sent home rescued fishermen.
Over the years, North Korean boats have washed ashore in Japan as well as on the deserted beaches of the Russian Far East. Sometimes Japan finds boats carrying decomposed corpses.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
![[GLOBAL PHOTO] Kim Jong-un arrives for the official opening of the Ryomyong residential area.](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2017/04/13/20170413173759574021.jpg)
