Morning Brew Update | Asia Pacific

Jan 1, 2028

Kyodo News - Ongoing Hijacking of the Kyushu Beetle Ferry

The New Year has not been so happy as authorities have yet to rescue the 200 passengers onboard the Kyushu Ferry. So far, South Korean authorities are working with Japanese authorities to create a covariate perimeter around the ferry, stopping all maritime and airborne approaches.

Prior to the covariate perimeter, a North Korean fishing boat sped towards the ferry. South Korean officials were able to intercept. According the the North Korean fisherman, he was responding to the ferry’s SOS call

Authorities have yet to confirm the hostages’ status and have made no attempts to approach the ferry. “It’s been four days and I don’t know what has happened to my son,” says a Japanese mother. “I don’t know if he’s dead or alive. The Japanese government hasn't told us anything other than they are working with South Korea. If they are working together, then it is far too slow.”

The identities of the hijackers remain unknown. However, Japanese authorities have released a statement that disputes accusations of Japanese responsibility. This is in response to a publication by Chosun Ilbo (The Chosun Daily), which made unsubstantiated claims that the hijacking was done by “Japanese operatives.” The Kyodo Times tried to identify the unnamed Japanese government spokesperson in that article but could not find him or her.

One Japanese linguistics expert reached out to strongly deny the story of Japanese involvement: “After watching the available video of the hijacking multiple times, I can tell you for certain that those men in black are not speaking native Japanese. I can't pinpoint what the accent is but there is definitely a foreign accent in their Japanese.”

So far, there are many questions that remain unanswered. Who are the hijackers? What is their goal? And most importantly, are the passengers still alive?

NHK News - Passenger list reveals famous K-Pop star onboard Kyushu Beetle Ferry

The NHK has obtained a passenger list containing the nationalities and names of those on onboard. According to the list, there are:

• 190 Japanese

• 10 South Koreans

One notable name on the list is famous K-Pop idol Lee Ye-Joon. According to social media posts, he intended to celebrate New Year's in Japan. 

Amnesty International - PRESS STATEMENT

The humanitarian rights organization released a brief statement, stating: Those onboard risk dying the longer they go without food or water. We urge those in power to negotiate the safe return of the passengers.

NYTimes - US Response to North Korea FTA Proposals

US Government officials have told the NYTimes that it does not intend to lift sanctions on the DPRK until it commits to nonproliferation and has taken non-reversible actions to dismantle its nuclear capabilities. “The DPRK remains a state sponsor of terrorism,” said the US spokesperson.

Associated Press - Op-Ed: DPRK-Iran Bilateral Agreement, concerning but rings hollow

Andrew Maslow is a senior expert who writes consistently for 38 North, a Stimson Center publication focused on North Korea. The views of this op-ed are entirely his.

The DPRK-Iran bilateral agreement should raise concerns around the world, but this deal isn’t boxer-ring bells alarming but more like a tiny bell you use to call clerks and attendants. Sure, the DPRK can share its knowledge on energy security and energy resilience. That’s their expertise and they have been working on self-sufficiency for years. 

But the DPRK’s promise to support Iran’s food security needs by providing essential agricultural products and food supplies is unrealistic—given the DPRK cannot adequately supply food to its own people and relies on Russia and Chinese grain imports. This part of the deal rings hollow and I expect the Iranians will soon learn the DPRK will fall flat on this promise. 

In the short-term, this bilateral deal between two US labeled state sponsors of terrorism shows that the DPRK is looking to diversify its partners. Will DPRK-Iran relations last in the long term? We’ll have to wait and see.