South Korea arrests cargo vessel captain for smuggling 450 tons of meat into North Korea
Published: 08 Apr. 2025, 20:15
![A satellite image of a cargo vessel that allegedly illegally carried 450 tons of meat to the port of Wonsan, North Korea on March 5 [KOREA COAST GUARD]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/04/08/1f2cbf35-1674-4724-9ab3-5c1fa23ebe62.jpg)
A satellite image of a cargo vessel that allegedly illegally carried 450 tons of meat to the port of Wonsan, North Korea on March 5 [KOREA COAST GUARD]
South Korean authorities have arrested the captain of a foreign cargo vessel on charges of illegally attempting to deliver hundreds of tons of meat to North Korea, in what officials described as a serious violation of inter-Korean trade laws.
According to the Coast Guard on Tuesday, a cargo vessel owned by a Taiwan-based company departed from Busan Port on Feb. 9 and entered North Korean territorial waters via the East Sea.
The ship remained docked at the port of Wonsan Port in North Korea until March 5. The vessel was reportedly carrying 450 tons of frozen meat products, including cattle and pig intestines and chicken feet.
The captain, an Indonesian national in his 50s, was taken into custody by the South Korean Coast Guard and referred to prosecutors. Authorities suspect he attempted to sell the meat to North Korean buyers during his time in Wonsan.
Although the meat was still on board at the time of the vessel's interception, the captain claimed he was merely following company orders to travel to Wonsan and was unaware of any specific transaction details.
Under South Korean law, any form of transport traveling between South and North Korea — regardless of foreign ownership — requires prior approval from the Unification Ministry. However, the cargo vessel allegedly misreported its destination when departing Busan, in an apparent attempt to conceal its true course.
The ship used a similar tactic when returning to Busan for refueling on March 8, again listing its previous port of departure as an unspecified offshore area.
The Coast Guard also found that the captain had switched off the ship's Automatic Identification System (AIS), a device used to track a vessel's position, while sailing through North Korean waters. The AIS was turned back on only upon reentering South Korean waters.
While the ship did not meet the criteria to be flagged as a “vessel of interest” — a designation for ships with prior violations or suspected of espionage — the Coast Guard confirmed its activity through satellite imagery showing the vessel docked in Wonsan.
Including the captain, eight Indonesian nationals, were on board at the time of arrest. The Taiwan-based shipping company that owns the vessel has also been booked on related charges.
Authorities said that no evidence of espionage was found.
However, a Coast Guard official said “even if a ship is foreign-registered, unauthorized travel to and from North Korea, and providing false declarations about port entries and exits, can pose serious national security risks.”
“We will strengthen monitoring and enforcement measures against maritime security violations,” the official added.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM MIN-JU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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