SEOUL: North Korea has issued a call to meet its annual fisheries output target.
According to Yonhap News Agency, The move is seen as an effort to address chronic food shortages and to bolster grain and seafood production.
The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's main newspaper, stated, "By successfully wrapping up this fishing campaign, let's attain the annual fisheries production goal no matter what." The paper further encouraged fishermen and relevant industry workers to achieve the set goals in an "unwavering" manner and emphasized the necessity to provide food, necessities, and firewood to those involved in the fishing sector.
In a broader economic context, Pyongyang has identified increasing grain and seafood production as one of its 12 major economic goals for the year. This focus comes in light of economic difficulties exacerbated by global sanctions and the impacts of years-long COVID-19 lockdowns.
Additionally, some analysts have pointed out that North Korea may increase its monitoring of the de-facto inter-Korean maritime border to prevent defections during the fishing period. According to a policy report submitted during a parliamentary audit earlier this month, the North Korean military is increasing its surveillance of fishing boats in areas near the Northern Limit Line, particularly during the crab fishing season.
Joung Eun-lee, a researcher at the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification, commented, "North Korea appears to be encouraging fishing activities as it moves to open its borders following COVID-19 lockdowns." Eun-lee also noted that North Korean residents have historically used the fishing period as a means for defection, and that authorities are likely to intensify their monitoring measures.
Last week, a wooden boat carrying four unidentified individuals crossed the eastern maritime inter-Korean border, in what appears to be an attempt to defect to South Korea. The motivation behind their actions remains unclear, including whether they disguised themselves as fishermen. Moreover, on Sunday, a North Korean vessel stranded near the maritime border in the East Sea was towed away by North Korean authorities several hours after being spotted by the South Korean military.