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© 2015 AFPBoats with decomposed bodies recently found drifting off Japan
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© 2015 AFP
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sensei258
May their families find peace and comfort.
Ronald Hassem
sad
wildwest
Sad waste.
garymalmgren
Fishing boats= fishing gear and fishers = food.
Rain= water
Doesn't quite make sense as there are many tails of survival at sea over far greater distances than that bewteen Japan and the Korean penisula.
But as in most cases maybe the simplest answer is right.
Nessie
Strange editorializing by AFP, but they have a pretty consistent anti-Japan bias.
Ramwag
We need to place in humanitarian mechanism to help these deprived 'human beings' with their effort for normal (better) existence.
crustpunker
Here's to you....
Rest forever here in our heartz
Polar Cities
@nessie -- AFP is a French news agency with reports worldwide in French, English and Spanish. It is not anti-Japan. It is merely in this case following its own editorial style guidelines. No bias intended.
turbotsat
Other news reports say "Since 2013, at least 175 boats have drifted from the Korean peninsula to Japan."
If a boat runs out of gas, it's likely to turn up in Japan, eventually. No way to row something like that back to shore. And would the glorious DPRK even let their fishermen carry emergency radios?
wikipedia indicates a couple of small currents from Korea to Japan (too small to be named on their map, as opposed to the larger two currents in the Sea of Japan / East Sea: the Lima Current flowing south along the continent, and the Tsushima Current flowing north along the Japanese coast).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Japan's_ocean_currents.PNG
Aaron Lloyd Brummett
Prayers!
Maria
That is very sad. Someone should tell those trying to escape to bring oars or large paddles. And to be honest, I don't know why they didn't. Did they have nothing with them to aid movement?
smithinjapan
Extremely sad that it's come to the point where these people pretty much know they will die at sea trying to find a better place but would rather attempt it than stay put any longer. RIP.
karlrb
It would be nice to have a more complete picture of these sad events.
Robert Dykes
"Doesn't quite make sense as there are many tails of survival at sea over far greater distances than that bewteen Japan and the Korean penisula."
Yeah, but someone has to be looking for them. The North would never waste effort and they sure would not let anyone know to keep an eye out.
AsianGaijinYesWeExist
Why is it strange? If something is known by different names by different places/people, it should be clearly stated for unbiasness. As a news consumer, I would want that.
nath
By that logic you would also have to say that they have an anti-Korea bias, since they also used the term Sea of Japan, and for that matter used it first.
I have to agree with AsianGaijin, that it's actually unbiased, by reporting both names.
Wc626
. . . but they got them long range Rodong Missiles
"Let them eat jellybeans."
25psot
What if there is some unknown disease involve, better leave it where you find it. Maybe some fungus takes control of mind causing people to sail one way until they die....
shallots
The captain who discovered the first boat also detected "strange-sounding" menacing signals over the com. One marine biologist, working in the area, is convinced there's more here than meets the eye. Has the government covered up strange numbers and drawings scratched into the hulls? Are they warnings? The local Island folk in the area believe that bodies, buried at sea, will come alive in the "end times" and attack the helpless. But, nobody will listen to the captain and the scientist who want to mobilize forces or at least do a more thorough investigation. In fact, it seems that the captain took his vacation early but was still seen in the area with the scientist (conducting his own investigation? Alerting anyone who will listen?). If we are attacked by a hoard of sea-zombies, it may be too late before we realize the danger.
William Wong
North korea may experimenting bio weapons to this political prisoners. But somehow some boats escaped due to desperation. Nk unable to detect them in fog and too late to reach them near japan water. Suddenly prisoner by prisoner collapse. Till today. Omg
A_cross
Turbotsat: the link should read: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuroshio_Current#/media/File:Japan%27s_ocean_currents.PNG
The reports I read were of boats discovered off the coast of central Japan. This means they were carried by the southern current of the two you mention. Boats drifting in the northern one will be heading towards Hokkaido. I hope some of them make it to Japan alive.
Pidestroika
after "the walking dead", here come "the seafaring dead". The whole story could easily come out of or become a horror movie.
turbotsat
@A_cross
Oops, sorry, maybe I forgot the trailing angle bracket. Although there was an apostrophe in wikipedia's URL for the picture, so maybe the JT autoformatter mangled it due to that.
And I misspelled Liman Current as Lima.
Here is a tinyurl to the map: http://tinyurl.com/pmxfhpt
Brian Wheway
"North Korea as the impoverished state prone to poor harvests", well that blows the theory of communism! communism they are all supposed to be equal, there mad cap leader seams to think that looking after his subjects, missiles are more important then the economy and food!
warispeace
If they had made it to Japan alive, what would have been their fate? Sent back? Detention camp? Labeled spies? A warm welcome as refugees with help to resettle?
MAN KENYA
Very astonishing to say the least.
Readsomemore
Yes, as others state, RIP. I hope their families find peace, as well, also stated by posters. A very curious story. It will be interesting what all comes out of it from different sources. But it is very sad no matter.
Globalista
We have noticed that about AFP as well...
Papi2013
They go to South Korea where they will settle. Japan doesn't accept any refugees (that's even a fat chance they'd accept Korean ones), they don't believe in refugees.
GyGene
My hope and prayer is that Korea will become a united democracy - soon! It happened with West and East Germany. I know many South Koreans have been praying for years...someday, someday.
Sperry
@Brian Wheway; "North Korea as the impoverished state prone to poor harvests", well that blows the theory of communism! "
North Korea is a dictatorship, and only refers to itself as Communist. Any system of government will fail if it does not follow the precepts of that political system. Here, the NK government only takes the label and does not follow the actual practices.
That being said, NK is an excellent example of why Communism cannot work in the real world.
serendipitous
Eleven boats with a total of twenty bodies means only a very small number of people per boat. Sadly, prayer isn't going to help them much. What's that classic prayer quote again? Oh yes, 'Prayer - How to do nothing and still think you're helping.'
Brian Wheway
Sperry, that was my point i was trying to get across, you have hit the nail on the head. lets see where else is the world is Communist, Russia, China NK, is every body equal? no, this just goes to show that it can't work. great in theory but rubbish in practice.
nath
They died free.