North Korea Detains Russian Boat; Holds 2 South Koreans, 15 Russians

A Russian fishing boat with 15 Russians and two South Koreans was detained by North Korean border guards on July 17, according to officials in Seoul and the Russian embassy in Pyongyang. The embassy reported that all crew members are in good health and that steps to clarify what happened are ongoing.

The ship was identified as the Xiang Hai Lin 8 and is the property of the Northeast Fishery Company based in Nevelsk, Russia, a port city located on Sakhalin approximately 400 km north of Sapporo, Japan. The boat’s destination was Zarubino, a port in the Russian Far East.

The Russian captain and a deputy, along with the two S. Koreans, were moved to a hotel in Wonsan, N. Korea, while the rest of the crew remained on the vessel in a port near the city. The Russian embassy said they were told by the North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the vessel had violated the N. Korean rules for “entry and stay” and were making every effort to come to some resolution of the issue.

The Unification Ministry in Seoul said they are communicating with Russian authorities and can send messages via an inter-Korea channel. They report that "Currently, [South Korean] citizens have been confirmed as safe. We are doing our best to confirm the safety of our citizens and in close consultation with Russian authorities confirming their safety."

Like other events where North Korea is involved, the timing of their action seems odd. A severe drought has affected crop production in the country not known for having a well-fed population. Despite this they are showing an unwillingness to work with South Korea on humanitarian aid and may have rejected assistance in the form of 50,000 tons of rice pledged by the South Korean Capital.

This and other recent events like the firing of two ballistic missiles and Kim Jong Un’s inspection of a newly build submarine is likely a reaction to planned U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises that are scheduled for August.

Russia is one of the few countries that has relatively close ties with North Korea and is a regular trade partner. It is also known that Russian coast guards will often detain North Korea fishermen, some in crude wooden boats and sentence some of them to prison. Perhaps North Korea is exacting some revenge by detaining the boat and subjecting the crew to harsh questioning and searches.

South Korea wants the tensions to ease between its northern neighbor but travel to North Korea is not permitted unless given Seoul’s permission.