North Korea seizes Chinese fishing boat for Ransom

The 16 fishermen said to be kidnapped by North Koreans

North Korea is used to turning to Chinese people after it finds it more difficult to kidnap Japanese. Disclosed by Yu Xuejun in his Sina Weibo on Saturday, some armed North Koreans took his fishing boat and its crew on May 5 in Chinese waters and demanded a ransom of RMB 600,000 (about US $96,774).

This is not the first time North Korea kidnap Chinese fishing boats for ransom. Just one year ago, May 8, 2012, North Korea kidnapped a Chinese fishing boat in the name of intruding North Korean waters.


Based on the experience, North Korea kidnapped the boat and the crew for the ransom, so even Chinese diplomats has asked North Korea to free the guys, DPRK would not free them until they receive the money.

Although China is nominally the only ally of North Korea, North Korea finds it more and more difficult to finance its economy due to its rigid dictatorship. Thus to keep threatening its neighbors, by kidnapping Chinese fishermen or planning launching missiles to South Korea or Japan, is becoming its most frequent method of financing its poor economy.

Is this the last kidnapping? I don't think so.