TOKYO (Reuter) The arrest of North Koreans in a major drug
seizure in Japan last week may be a sign that the
faminestricken state is becoming desperate in its attempts to
raise cash, Japanese intelligence sources and analysts say.
Japanese police arrested three North Korean nationals on
suspicion of smuggling a huge cache of stimulants in cargo
labeled as honey on the North Koreanregistered Ji Song2. The
1,499ton freighter left North Korea's Nanpo port on April 5.
Investigators found 154 pounds of amphetamines with a street
value estimated at $95 million in cargo from the ship after it
docked at the port of Hososhima on the Pacific coast island of
Kyushu.
The North Korean captain of the freighter was arrested along
with two other proPyongyang Korean residents of Japan.
Japanese intelligence sources believe the North Korean
government may have been behind what they say could be the
biggest ever drug smuggling case involving North Koreans.
``When we come to think of North Korea, it strictly controls
activities of its citizens. We must suspect that the smuggling
was carried out or approved by the government,'' one Japanese
government intelligence source told Reuters.
``The biggest motive behind the case must have been cash,''
the source said.
Cashstrapped North Korea, gripped by famine after two
consecutive years of flooding, may have been cornered into
taking steps unacceptable to the international community,
another intelligence source said.
``For North Korea, which now has almost nothing convertible
into cash, there aren't many sources of foreign exchange,'' the
source said. ``They are becoming ever more desperate.''
Northeast Asia expert Nozomu Akizuki said: ``Their smuggling
operation was very unprofessional. If you were professional, you
would never bring in drugs in such large quantities at one
time.''
Akizuki, of Meiji Gakuin University in Tokyo, added: ``They
may have targeted Japan because Japan is one of the easiest
countries in which to sell amphetamines.''
The intelligence sources said North Korea was losing many of
its traditional financial supporters abroad, including ethnic
Koreans living in Japan.
About onethird of Japan's 666,000strong ethnic Korean
community supports North Korea. Almost all are descendants of
workers or students who came to Japan when Korea was a Japanese
colony in the first half of this century.
``Korean residents of Japan, particularly the younger
generation, are changing. They have stopped sending cash to
their homeland as they used to,'' the intelligence source said.
Apart from Japan's prolonged economic recession, many ethnic
Koreans have gradually been squeezed out of the $240 billion
Japanese pinball or ``pachinko'' industry, the source said.
Until a few years ago, about onethird of Japan's 19,000
pachinko gaming halls were run by proPyongyang Koreans. ``They
are now losing the game to Japanese companies,'' the source
said.
The alleged drug smuggling could not only tarnish North
Korea's image but may also hand Tokyo a reason not to pledge new
food aid to Pyongyang, Akizuki said.
Japan is holding back its decision to give food aid to
faminestricken North Korea partly because of public anger over
allegations that North Korea kidnapped and spirited away several
Japanese citizens to Pyongyang.
``The abduction allegations and the case of smuggling would
certainly make the Japanese government more reluctant to extend
food aid to North Korea,'' Akizuki said.