According to South Korean news channel TV Chosun, intelligence sources verified the recent sinking of a North Korean military cargo vessel, which killed around 90 people.
According to authorities, the unnamed “very large ship” capsized while passing a river on its way to North Korea’s border with South Korea’s Gangwon region.
The disaster happened in May and was considered to be caused in part by overloading. However, North Korea’s press outlets have yet to release any information regarding the event.
The troops on the vessel were being transferred to the Gangwon border as part of Pyongyang’s latest security improvement efforts.
According to intelligence reports, North Korea’s Minister of Defense, Kang Sun-nam, visited the incident site after the sinking and ordered the adoption of the required steps to prevent a repeat occurrence.
Park Won-gon, a professor in the Department of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University, told TV Chosun that the sinking has sparked unrest within the North Korean military and that Pyongyang may use recent provocations against South Korea to divert attention away from the tragedy.
