N.K. defector re-enters the North amid soaring tension

A North Korean defector who was living in South Korea crossed the de facto western sea border Wednesday on a fishing boat that he had stolen. The South Korean military has come under criticism for having failed to prevent the incident despite its strengthened alert posture amid the North’s escalating threats of provocations.

The South Korean military said Thursday, “Lee Hyeok-cheol, 28, stole a 9-ton fishing boat on the northwestern frontline island of Yeonpyeong and sailed across the maritime border called the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea around 10:49 p.m. Wednesday.” Lee is believed to sail the ship north after finding the keys left in the engine of the fishing boat, which was anchored at a port. Lee, who had fled to a third country and re-entered North Korea four times before arriving in South Korea in March 2007, went to the island two months ago as a crab fisherman.

According to the military, a South Korean guard soldier detected the boat moving out of the port around 10:20 p.m. Wednesday and reported the situation to the situation room of the Yeonpyeong military unit. “A relevant unit has launched a fact-finding operation after receiving the report from the guard,” a military official said. “Crab fishing boats on the island often move boats from an inner port to an outer one overnight to secure a good fishing spot.” The official indicated that the boat in question was considered moving for such a reason. Once a fishing boat moves to an outer port, it goes out of guard soldiers’ sight, making it impossible for the military to see whether it moves to the outer port or heads north to cross the NLL, the official added.

Nevertheless, the military came under criticism for having failed to keep track of the South Korean fishing boat despite its state-of-the-art radar system. The military authorities announced that they were closely monitoring North Korea’s military moves with all its surveillance and intelligence assets. Against this backdrop, the South Korean Navy and Marine Corps explained that there are “dead angle zones” that radar systems cannot detect.

Some raise the possibility that the Yeonpyeong military unit that received the initial report failed to make a proper judgment of the situation. This means that the unit could have prevented the boat from crossing the sea border if it had contacted the maritime police, which have the primary responsibility for illegal sailings.

scud2007@donga.com