By Yi Whan-woo



North Korea has sold China its fishing rights above the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the East Sea in addition to the Yellow Sea, as part of its efforts to earn foreign currency, intelligence sources said Thursday.



It is estimated that North Korea earns 82 billion won ($74.3 million) annually by selling fishing rights in the two seas, according to the sources. They added that all the earnings have so far been diverted to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to prop up his cash-strapped regime, which is under heavy international sanctions.



According to the National Intelligence Service (NIS) last month, Pyongyang sold its fishing rights in the northern side of the de facto maritime border in the West Sea for $30 million, but this is the first time such a move has been confirmed in the East Sea.



"Intelligence analysis shows that North Korea recently sold its fishing rights near the NLL in the East Sea," a source said.



"The country has been handing out such rights in the East and West seas to Chinese fishermen through brokers although it is speculated that North Korean authorities will engage in sales directly in the future," the source added.



He did not mention whether the Chinese own fishing rights permanently or have to renew the agreement with North Korea periodically.



Other sources said the fishing waters near the NLL were previously not open to Chinese trawlers, although they were allowed to operate in some parts of North Korean waters in line with a bilateral fishing agreement signed in 2004.



"It's uncertain whether the agreement is still effective. Still, we've spotted about 900 to 1,000 Chinese boats near the NLL in the East Sea lately and it was found that they purchased the right to work there."



Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun confirmed that such a claim was true, saying, "Chinese vessels are active in the area."



"We can't give any details but we've been sharing information concerning North Korea's fishing rights with related agencies," he added.



The sources estimated that an average of 2,500 Chinese boats acquire the fishing rights every year. The number is up from the NIS's finding of 1,500 in January in its report to the National Assembly.



"What matters is that the actual number of Chinese trawlers near the NLLs surpasses 2,500 because many of them operate without buying fishing rights," a source said. "They fish recklessly and are depleting fish stocks in the region."



North Korea was first suspected of selling fishing rights to Chinese fishermen in June when Pyongyang remained silent over an operation by the South Korean military to expel illegal Chinese boats from neutral waters in the estuary of the Han River near the NLL in the West Sea. Chinese boats have stayed in North Korean waters after retreating from the area, but the North has not taken any action against them.



A defector who claimed he participated in a crackdown on illegal Chinese boats when he was in North Korea testified that the fishing deal has been a major source of income for North Korea. The defector said Chinese paid fees or gave the North up to 60 percent of their catch.



The analysts said the "joint fishing" between North Korea and China is not considered a violation of the U.N. Security Council's sanctions against Pyongyang, but it deserves U.N. investigation.



They noted that the UNSC Resolution 2270, which was imposed in March, excludes trade concerning livelihood goods between North Korea and the outside world.



"North Korea is a sovereign state and the U.N. may not have rights to prohibit its use of its territory," a researcher at the Sejong Institute said on condition of anonymity. "Also it would be required to obtain hard evidence that Pyongyang is using the money earned by selling fishing rights to pursue nuclear and missile programs in defiance of the U.N."



