With most of the boats washing up empty or only with dead bodies, it was initially not clear where they had come from but some observers speculated they were North Korean fishing boats that had been searching for king crab, squid and sandfish.
Markings on some of the vessels, in Korean, indicated that they belonged to the North’s military which is heavily involved in the fishing industry.
In the recent cases where boats were found with the crew still alive, the sailors confirmed they were from North Korea. One of the boats rescued in November also had a plaque indicating it belonged to the military.
Unsurprisingly, there has been no mention of the missing vessels from North Korea.