- TOKYO (UPI) - Japan intercepted
radio messages between North Korea and a suspected spy ship that sank after
exchanging fire with Japanese patrol boats, news reports said Wednesday.
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- An official with Japan's Defense Agency was quoted as
saying there is evidence that the ship was from North Korea.
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- A fishing boat suspected of spying for North Korea sank
in waters off the East China Sea Saturday after trading machine gun fire
with Japanese coast guard vessels.
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- Japan's Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported Wednesday that
the defense had picked up the communication on Dec. 18 or 19 on a frequency
used by Pyongyang's ruling Workers Party of Korea.
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- Defense agency and U.S. military sources told the newspaper
the communication indicated the ship may have been involved in the smuggling
of stimulant drugs.
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- Two sailors who were aboard the mystery ship were later
found dead, while an estimated 15 others are still missing.
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- North Korea has not officially commented on the case,
but it did step up its propaganda onslaught against the United States amid
renewed tensions in the wake of the sinking.
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- "The United States has put South Korea under high
security alert under the pretext of fighting terrorism, which led to the
current deadlock in inter-Korean relations," Pyongyang's state-run
newspaper said.
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- The United States regards North Korea as a potential
sponsor of terrorism.
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