Boats full of dead people from North Korea keep showing up in Japan — here's why

pulse

December 10, 2017 4:02 PM

Some experts say this is indicative of food insecurity in North Korea.

Dozens of ships containing bodies have washed up in Japan recently.
The evidence indicates the "ghost ships" are coming from North Korea.
It isn't a new phenomenon, but it's happening more frequently.
One expert told Business Insider it could be because of food scarcity in North Korea.

Dozens of bodies have mysteriously washed up on Japan's shores over the past few weeks — and the evidence suggests they're coming from North Korea.

At least 40 corpses from about 15 boats have washed up along Japan's west coast since November, according to figures provided by Japanese authorities and calculated by Business Insider.

The most recent discovery was on Thursday, when authorities found two skeletons near an upturned boat near the western city of Oga, The Washington Post reported.

While Japanese authorities haven't been able to definitively identify the origins of these "ghost ships" — vessels discovered with no living crew — multiple factors suggest they are from North Korea.

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