North Korean authorities are purportedly raking in millions annually by auctioning fishing rights to Chinese corporations, with these vessels enjoying the safeguard of North Korea’s coast guard. A confidential source from China, disclosing details on November 23 under anonymity for security reasons, shared that these fishing rights are rented at approximately RMB 50 million (equivalent to USD 7 million) per annum, enabling Chinese entities to operate within North Korea’s maritime borders.
The cost of these fishing rights fluctuates based on the size and location of the designated area, signalling a considerable surge compared to prices observed in prior years. Instead of direct negotiations, it is predominantly small to medium-sized Chinese fishing enterprises that liaise with North Korean seafood companies for the acquisition of fishing rights.
The leased areas predominantly surround Ka, Taehwa, and Sinmi islands, positioned south of the Cholsan Peninsula in North Pyongan Province. Chinese fishing entities operating in these waters reportedly engage in expansive catch activities, including horned turbans, blue crabs, yellowtail amberjack, clam farming, and jellyfish cultivation, according to the source.
The orchestrated operations of Chinese companies in North Korean waters receive protection from the North Korean coast guard, curtailing access to these areas for both North Korean and unauthorized Chinese vessels. The source further revealed that Chinese rights holders deploy a capacious vessel capable of accommodating Chinese personnel, with its automatic identification system intentionally deactivated to veil its location.
When conveying seafood caught in North Korean waters to China, the floating base doesn’t transport the cargo directly. Instead, other Chinese vessels approach for a transshipment of the seafood in open waters, maintaining utmost secrecy about the operation’s location.
The United Nations Security Council, in its August 2017 Resolution 2371, prohibited North Korea from exporting seafood. Subsequently, in December 2017, Resolution 2397 explicitly outlawed the sale of fishing rights as a workaround to the seafood export ban. A recent dossier from the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea unveiled an ongoing inquiry into evidence pointing to the sale of North Korean seafood in Chinese markets. The report highlighted a photograph from Yanji, Jilin Province, displaying a sign reading “North Korean seafood wholesale.” Chinese authorities confirmed that the establishment had falsely advertised the sale of North Korean seafood, while in reality, the products were legally imported from Russia.
Source: Daily NK
