Overloaded North Korean Vessel Carrying Troops Capsizes, Killing 90 Of 130 Personnel Onboard

A North Korean transport vessel overloaded with soldiers sank last month, killing almost 90 of the 130 people on board, according to a South Korean intelligence report.

North Korea has not publicly acknowledged the incident, which occurred on a river when the vessel was ferrying troops for a border project in Gangwon Province.

According to Seoul’s TV Chosun, the “very large ship” sank in early May due to overloading.

The personnel on board had been assigned to work on a border barrier project in the country’s eastern region.

The exact name of the vessel is unknown.

According to South Korean intelligence sources, the incident caused widespread concern among North Korean military personnel.

The regime’s bizarre border measures, such as the recent decision to fly 1,000 bags of trash across the demilitarized zone on unmanned balloons, could be linked to an attempt to shift focus to an external opponent.

Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha University, told TV Chosun, “Even if you try to hide it, it will eventually become known.

In that situation, one of the things North Korea usually does is provoke foreign conflict to unite within.

While North Korean sources have not confirmed the occurrence, TV Chosun has a track record of reliably reporting intelligence material that the South Korean government later accepted.

North Korea’s aged fleet, combined with the impact of Western sanctions that have made it impossible to procure parts and maintenance, has compounded the regime’s maritime challenges.

In 2021, the North Korean cargo ship Cheongbong sank off Shimane, Japan, carrying iron; a passing North Korean tanker rescued all workers.

The South Korean National Intelligence Service has not issued a public statement regarding the incident, and its embassy in Beijing has not responded to several requests for comment.

North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam visited the accident site and ordered stricter safety standards, but this appears to have done little to assuage the military’s discontent.

The order to mobilize up to 1,000 troops per day began in mid-January, following a national address by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in which he described South Korea as the regime’s “principal enemy.”

North Korea rarely acknowledges maritime incidents that involve military personnel.

In a similar occurrence, Taiwan’s espionage chief, Tsai Ming-yen, revealed that a Chinese navy Type 093, or Shang-class, nuclear-powered assault submarine had an accident last year, but no additional information was supplied.

No public comments from North Korea have been made regarding the latest sinking, and the South Korean intelligence assessment has yet to be validated by independent sources.

Reference: Newsweek

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Source: Maritime Shipping News