Mystery of North Korea ships washing up in Japan full of dead bodies solved

A study by non-profit Global Fishing Watch has helped to shed some light on the deadly phenomenon, which has seen rickety fishing vessels from North Korea washing up in Japan for years. Photo: Courtesy.

The mystery surrounding North Korean 'ghost ships' which have been washing up in Japan full of dead bodies may now have been finally solved. For years, Japan's north coast had been the site of the disturbing phenomenon, with rickety fishing vessels arriving more than 1,000km from where they set out. In 2017 the numbers were unprecedented with more than 100 damaged boats landing, containing a total of 35 bodies, compared to 66 vessels the year before. Some have speculated the weather that year was to blame and that North Korea's ageing fishing population had something to do with the problem.

But a study by non-profit Global Fishing Watch and published today in journal Science Advances has been able to shed some light on the matter. Researchers used satellite technologies to analyse marine traffic in northeast Asia in 2017 and 2018 and discovered hundreds of "dark fishing fleets" - believed to be Chinese - have been operating in North Korean waters - apparently illegally. This meant ushering out North Korean boats and forcing them on ill-advised ventures into Russian and Japanese waters, poorly equipped for long-distance travel.