Update 3 on the North Korean Boat Defectors to Japan
by Richardson ~ June 8th, 2007. Filed under: Defectors & Refugees, Japan.Japanese police are reportedly not seeking any sort of prosecution against the family of defectors, for the time being at least. Still, there are suspicions that the family could be spies, or at least not being truthful about their humble stations in North Korea. Perhaps I missed it in previous reports on the unusually large amount of fuel (for North Korea) they had with them, but this one notes that all four had wristwatches:
Since South Korea has expressed its willingness to accept the four, they will eventually go to the country. But it may take some time before that happens. Investigators must learn more about the four. They had poison with them, and the younger son was found to be in possession of a stimulant drug. All four had wristwatches, usually beyond the reach of poor North Koreans. The boat they arrived in had diesel oil, which is said to be difficult to obtain in North Korea.
See the original post on the defection, and the first and second updates for more background information.
The large amount of fuel, said to be worth the equivalent of 16 years of wages in North Korea, the (admittedly small amount of) methamphetamine, access to a spare engine, and now the fact that they all had wristwatches has called into question the veracity of the story given by the four defectors.
I think all of these things can reasonably be explained away, barring the existence of some other damning information. They probably stole the fuel, at least that which could not have been hoarded. The younger son had a reason for access (as a fisherman), so perhaps they stole it as they left. Likewise for the spare engine; probably some other fisherman woke up to find he was engine poor.
The meth was found on the younger son, who said he used it to stay awake on the voyage. I don’t doubt that, but do wonder how he got it, or even knew where to obtain it. I’m not sure about the watches, and don’t know that it really does point to what is suspected, or at least being investigated.
With what is known, I’ll say that I doubt they are spies. As usual, we’ll have to wait for more information.
June 10th, 2007 at 11:12 am
[...] pressure is so great that North Koreans are now fleeing on boat to Japan (here, here and here). Japanese authorities have doubted if the 4 were spies (they had wristwatches, an important amount [...]
June 10th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
I don’t recall the name of the author or who co-wrote “life in an aquarium” or something. i’m sure you’d know. anyway, he was given an private audience with president bush.
i know this sounds far fetched.. but if you combined something like “the manchurian candidate” into this whole spy amongst refugee thing and perhaps if that spy happened to be a highly skilled asssassin who can kill by just breathing his garlicky breathe unto our president….hmmm. i see a book in this. tom clancy…
no need to be paranoid. i don’t think kji has any personal vendetta against bush or any future leader of our country.
June 10th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
the abundant fuel could have been used for the return trip.
what if they were never spotted by the japanese fishing boat.. huh ?
i’m sure they had contacts waiting for them.
and who’s to say that the “small amount” was the original amount. upon seeing the fishing boat or while en route, before being boarded, they dumped the mother load…
they probably dumped the whole load…
they’re not spies !!!!
they’re drug smugglers.
June 11th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
You’re thinking of, The Aquariums of Pyongyang, by Kang Chol-Hwan. Nice book idea. The book came out during Clinton’s presidency, so perhaps they just lost their chance? Heh.
These boat defectors reportedly left with 200L and had 90L when they were ‘found.’ It is conceivable that they were bringing drugs, perhaps to deliver to a Chosen Soren contact that they missed, and dumped them once it became likely that they would be apprehended by the JSDF.
But at this point, with the information that has so far been made publicly available, I think they were just defectors.