15 Russians, two South Koreans detained by North Korean authorities: embassy

15 Russians, two South Koreans detained by North Korean authorities: embassy
Damin Jung and Oliver Hotham July 24th, 2019 https://www.nknews.org/2019/07/15-russians-two-south-koreans-detained-by...

Fishing vessel crew being held at Wonsan hotel, statement says

15 Russians and two South Koreans were last week detained by North Korean authorities and remain in custody, Russia’s embassy in Pyongyang confirmed on Wednesday.

In a statement, the embassy said the detainees had been onboard a fishing vessel called the “Xian Hai Lin 8” when they were apprehended at sea by DPRK authorities last Wednesday.

“On board were 17 crew members, of whom 15 were citizens of the Russian Federation, two more were citizens of the Republic of Korea,” the statement said.

The vessel was detained for “violating the rules of entry and stay in the DPRK territory,” it added, citing representatives of North’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

The ship, reportedly owned by the Nevelsk, Russia-based Northeast Fishing Company, “is currently in the port of the city of Wonsan.”

Consular officers from the Russian embassy reportedly met with the ship’s captain and second mate — along with the rest of their crew — on Monday.

“All crew members are healthy,” the statement said, adding they are being held at a Wonsan hotel.

“The Russian Embassy is in constant contact with the DPRK authorities and the leadership of the Northeastern Fishing Company,” it continued.

“The embassy is taking all necessary measures to resolve the situation as soon as possible.”

The detention is the second by North Korean authorities of foreign citizens in recent weeks, following last month’s arrest and subsequent release of Australian graduate student and tour leader Alek Sigley.

But the presence of South Koreans among the detainees is unusual, and brings the number of ROK citizens known to be imprisoned in the North to eight.

And while Russia maintains good ties with North Korea, it’s unclear how Seoul might petition Pyongyang for their release.

South Korea’s Ministry of Unification (MOU) on Wednesday confirmed that two South Koreans had been detained and that it was reaching out to North Korean counterparts to discuss the issue.

“The government figured out the relevant matters and requested North Korea make a swift response through inter-Korean joint liaison office in Kaesong in the afternoon on July 18,” an MOU official — who wished to remain anonymous — said.

Seoul also sent a statement to Pyongyang under the name of Korean Red Cross President Park Kyung-seo at around 1500 local time, the official added.

In a statement, the government requested the North to provide cooperation so that the two South Korean citizens currently detained in the North “can resume their planned schedule in a safe manner, or return [to South Korea].”

According to the relevant South Korean authorities, the MOU said, the Russian-flagged Xiang Hai Lin-8 departed Sokcho port at around 1900 local time last Tuesday.

When it drifted due to engine trouble, the vessel was detained by the North Korean authorities in the water off the country’s eastern coast.

One expert told NK News that the ship’s reported location “is well outside of the DPRK’s territorial waters but still within their exclusive economic zone,” according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“This isn’t the first time the DPRK authorities have detained Russian citizens performing maritime activities,” said Anthony Rinna, an analyst on Russian foreign policy in East Asia for the Sino-NK research group.

“Given that Russia recently ratified an extradition treaty with the DPRK that mentions the rights of prisoners, there seems to be an understanding in Russia that Moscow can expect the DPRK to treat Russian citizens fairly,” he continued.

“Yet even if a relatively small number of citizens face adverse conditions while in North Korean detention, this is probably not enough to upset the upward trajectory of DPRK-Russia ties.”

The embassy’s statement confirms multiple reports in the country’s media in recent days that a Russian crew had been detained by DPRK authorities last week.

Reports stated the ship had departed South Korea’s Sokcho port and was en route to the Sea of Japan to fish crab when it was detained roughly 55 nautical miles from the territory of the DPRK.

“At 4 am on July 17, border guards landed right on the ship and turned off all communications,” Sergei Sedler, deputy director of the Northeast Fishing Company, was quoted as having told reporters.

Sedler was also reported to said his colleagues were being treated “very harshly” by authorities.

“There is no ventilation, the temperature is 30–35 degrees,” he said. “They are interrogated and searched twice a day.”

Artyom Lukin, an international relations scholar at the Far East Federal University (FEFU) in Vladivostok, told NK News the reports were “troubling.”

“It is not totally unusual since there have previously been, in recent years, incidents when Russian boats were apprehended by NK at sea off the DPRK,” he said. “But all previous cases involved sporting yachts, with smaller crews, and they were released relatively quickly.”

“However, this time a crew of 17 people have been detained with the boat and they have been in captivity for as long as a week already,” he continued. “We can only speculate why the boat and the crew were apprehended and are still in custody.”

“If the vessel and the crew are not released soon, it may well become an irritant in the generally friendly Russia-DPRK relationship. The issue has already become public in Russia, making headlines here.”