A wave of mystery boats were found drifting in the Sea of Japan these past weeks. The latest count is a boat that was towed to the Fukui port, which brings the total to 11 boats. The only identification found are a piece of cloth found in one of the boats - thought to have come from a flag of North Korea, and writings on the side of another boat - purported to translate as Korean People's Army, which refers to North Korea's military defence force.
More than the lack of identification, the bigger puzzle is the dead bodies found in each boat. The bodies were mostly decomposing, with the skeleton already showing through for some. A few of the boats had as much as 20 bodies in them. Two of bodies were missing their heads, another boat had six skulls in it. None of the bodies bore any identification.
One theory says that the boats were from North Korea and the remains belonged to fishermen who were trying to catch some badly needed boost for the country's scarce food supply. The boats, however, were badly equipped with the fishing gear very difficult to operate and the navigation gears missing. An expert's assessment of the mystery boats indicated that the boats may have been adrift for a few months with no one the wiser about where they were.
Another theory suggests that the boats had been ferrying North Korean refugees who tried to escape the country's closed door policy.
Others even go so far as to wonder if the boats may have been anywhere near the famed Dragon Triangle.
Maritime expert Yoshihiko Yamada says that the boats are similar to vessels used by North Korean defectors. Particularly, the heavy make and wood of the boats indicated that these are unable to sail swiftly and do not have sufficient power to navigate strong currents.
While speculations run free and questions bring more questions, authorities continue to investigate the vessels and their unknown passengers. The bigger worry is if they will find more of these boats floating down the Sea of Japan, or the East Sea as North and South Koreans call it.
The mystery shrouding the vessels bring to mind the 1872 American merchant ship, Mary Celeste, found disheveled and empty in the Atlantic Ocean. The seaworthy ship had all cargo and provisions still intact, with only the crew and passengers and the lifeboat missing. Many theories developed around Mary Celeste's mystery, but the investigations and the hearings were never conclusive. To this day, the Mary Celeste remains an unsolved mystery.
