north korean navy
North Korean navy sailors conducting drills. (DPRK Today)

North Korean authorities issued an order to the country’s navy on Nov. 7 to intensify control over passing fishing vessels as well as other ships in the East Sea, Daily NK learned on Nov. 18. 

The order issued instructions for the navy to clearly understand the location of fishing vessels and other ships; to improve responses to situations where radio contact has been lost with ships; and to intensify monitoring and reporting about activities observed on the sea, Daily NK sources said. 

TIGHTENING CONTROL

In the past, navy vessels only required fishing boats and other ships to report their location every two hours, and the weather conditions twice a day. The new orders have changed this practice, Daily NK sources said. 

“The order instructed navy vessels to have fishing vessels and other ships report their location every hour, and report weather conditions every three hours,” one of the sources said. “The naval vessels were also ordered to remain in constant radio contact with their naval bases.” 

“The order also contained the command to intensify the surveillance and regulation of ships in each zone,” continued the source. “The orders issued were all-encompassing, meant to maintain complete control over the area of ocean under jurisdiction. 

The orders included detailed instructions about how to respond to navy ships “going out of contact.” This is interesting because the instructions clearly are aimed at preventing ships from taking unorthodox measures to get out of contact with their superiors. 

“According to the orders, when communications have been interrupted for over 10 minutes, the general staff division must immediately use wired and wireless devices, activity records, wire communications and various wartime communication networks and electronic warfare systems to locate the vessel in question,” said the source. “Here, it was also emphasized that the staff should also actively collaborate with nearby air force units.” 

INCREASING DEFECTIONS BY SEA

North Korea’s move to strengthen rules covering how naval vessels should behave is likely related to recent and increasing attempts by North Koreans to defect by sea. In fact, the order directly followed the repatriation, via Panmunjom, of two North Koreans who had defected to South Korea over the East Sea.

Daily NK also recently reported a family was arrested off the coast of Hongwon County in South Hamgyong Province while attempting to defect in a wooden vessel.

North Korean authorities seem to be acting in anticipation of such situations arising again, and attempting to “seal off the entire coast,” after a fashion, said sources.

North Korean authorities are essentially trying to seal off the country’s entire coast, military sources told Daily NK. 

“The houses battleships are on patrol at night has been increased by two hours,” one of the sources said. “Many in the military are speculating that something big must have happened to spark all of these changes.”

*Translated by Violet Kim

Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

The Korean version of this article can be found here