I have to say: really this incident may seem small, however routine and quickly resolved the incident initially caused inadequate Mediacom, and then became an occasion for some important lessons.
On the morning of may 14 in social networks has reported that it is not the fishermen, not the coast guard of the DPRK detained in the sea of Japan the Russian yacht “Elfin,” which were five participants in the sports of the regatta, and began to tow her to the North Korean shores. About the incident, wrote on his Facebook page the Chairman of the Board of judges of Federation of sailing of Primorsky Krai Evgeny Khromchenko. “They were approached by North Korean fishermen, took the captain aboard and dragged the boat to the side of North Korea. Shore 85 miles”.
Even before become aware of the circumstances of the detention and place of the incident, as Patriotic and unpatriotic authors and bloggers managed to pour out on paper or keyboard their impressions and predictions, of which in the aggregate was clearly following.
- Of course, this is not an accident! Thus, North Korea, Russia is sending a signal of discontent over the fact that Moscow has joined anti-North Korean sanctions.
- Common people will definitely suffer because so tyrannical regime played on ordinary Russians: be sure that they will be declared spies or smugglers and jailed for fifteen years, as an American citizen.
- The Moscow authorities and, of course, leave it unattended and will cover its strategic ally. And then, where do you see that Russian diplomats just so he could have rushed to defend the ordinary citizens caught in the misfortune? Especially on weekends!
- No, Russia would show them, ” see, this deliberate insult rising from its knees, the country will not miss, and this mode is high time to punish.
- And in General. Did you not know: North Korea is constantly captures the Russian court, which then disappear along with the entire team. The list, of course, we will not call, because actually its the Russian authorities hide, but because “it’s common knowledge”. So, most likely, the North Korean authorities just wanted to give a young leader a yacht to mark the end of the Congress party.
- No, the DPRK in his own right – probably sailors missing something, and, most likely, the fact that they were too close to the war zone. Themselves to blame, had to figure out where to swim.
Of the more realistic versions of the incident speculated that the yacht could have hit a fisherman’s net and be confronted by their angry owners, or that the Northmen received the distress signal and decided to tow the ship to port, then to receive compensation for services.
About this background, the author was answering calls on the first day of the incident, but already then it became clear that everything will not go as expected, those who already planned out the whole situation. Russian diplomats, as Ambassador Alexander Matsegora and Consul General on the East coast Yuriy Bochkarev, more than promptly responded to information from social networks, then information about the incident appeared on the website of the Russian foreign Ministry, which immediately sent Pyongyang a note of protest and demanded that the Ministry of foreign Affairs and the people’s armed forces of the DPRK to take immediate measures for the release of the yacht and its crew. Diplomats almost immediately was in place, figuring out what happened. And it soon became clear that there is no “signal”, not “racketeering” and certainly not piracy and, say, an unfortunate misunderstanding. The yacht was followed in Busan from Vladivostok after taking part in the local regatta “Busan Supercap” why on her sides left inscriptions in Korean, and, apparently, in South Korea transcription. In this form it appeared in the exclusive economic zone of the DPRK and attracted the attention of vigilant fishermen.
Here it should be mentioned that the level of anti-spyware of the passion in North Korea is quite high, and “song of the brown button” is not a dogma but a guide to action. Thus, if the audience will remember the previous publications of the author on a theme related to the DPRK espionage scandals or known incident of 1968 with the seizure of the U.S. intelligence ship “Pueblo”, she will understand that these sentiments, in General, are without Foundation. But in certain situations it is advisable to play it safe. The author of the well-known story of how, in the eighties, a group of surveyors arrived in the North-Eastern areas of Korea in order to carry out mapping measurement. Top brass, of course, was alerted, but the alert locals could not react to strangers with strange equipment, and then on the first day by the cartographers of the three times left local security officers, who informed vigilant citizens, and even once or twice – “spies” tried to detain independently.
It is unknown whether flew over the yacht of the Russian flag. But whatever it was, seeing the South Korean ship with suspicious symbolism, the fishermen went on Board the ship, trying to RAM the ship and pelting the team almost stools or coal briquette heating. Judging by the descriptions, it was the fishermen, not the representatives of power structures, which after two-hour chase was transplanted to the captain on Board your suspicious and towed the ship to the nearest major port Kimchaek for further proceedings. Judging by the statements of Russian diplomats, treated detainees in the normal range, and the authorities immediately due and asked Russia to understand the position of the fishermen.” The crew also reported that in the port of DPRK, no complaints, they exhibited was not.
Then on may 15, the ship headed for Vladivostok on 17 may and the first mate (it is unclear why not the captain) gave an interview to Russian journalists.
Of course, the point of this story is not yet delivered. Sailors, confident in the fact that in the territorial waters of the DPRK, they did not come, says the incident was a pirate attack and demanded compensation of 600 thousand dollars in damages. The North Korean side (at the time of this writing) have not yet responded to a formal request and expressed no apologies or regrets regarding the incident (which, in the author’s opinion, to permanently close the issue). However, in this situation there are three very important lessons.
First, between almost any country there are misunderstandings which should not be dramatized, multiplying the conflict and making mountains out of molehills, and solving them in working order, and without unnecessary dramatization. It is no coincidence, after all was resolved, it became known that the similar history with the yachts in North Korean waters does happen periodically, only learned about the incident a few days later he was allowed. Just in this case, the information was known before.
And, secondly, because thus it is seen how the social networks work within the framework of which an alarm signal can do in a short time to cause the proper reaction and to draw attention, if we are talking about a really trivial situation that requires care.
Thirdly, it shows that Russian diplomats are not lazy that care problems of their citizens, especially if the yard is closed. The reaction of the diplomats in Moscow, Chongjin and Pyongyang was professional and timely, and although the good news is that rank are remembered worse than bad, the audience should remember this case when discussing the favorite thesis of the opposition that “this country always throws its citizens in trouble.”
