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North Korean ships have passed through the Jeju Strait in South Korean waters 114 times over the last year, according to data handed by the Joint Chief of Staffs to Grand National Party lawmaker Song Young-sun on Friday.
Seoul allowed North Korean ships to pass through the Jeju Strait from Aug. 15 last year. According to the report, the move has cut 53 nautical miles, W390,000 (US$1=W946) in fuel cost and some five hours per trip for North Korean ships commuting from Nampo or Cheongjin to Wonsan. North Korean vessels shipped a total of 384,688 tons of rice, iron ore, coal, salt, sugar, stone coal, gasoline, diesel oil and zinc.
However, North Korea¡¯s operation record, which was sent to the South, shows that 28 ships traveled carrying no freight. A Unification Ministry official said the government did not ask the North about the empty ships, since sometimes ships travel empty one way and are loaded with cargo at the destination. However, Song raised the possibility that the North might have falsified the records or used the sea route for other purposes, including military ones.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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