North Korea's fishermen rely on South Korean weather service, says source

SEOUL, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- North Korean fishermen are increasingly relying on South Korean weather forecasts for one important reason – their lives are on the line when they take their boats out to sea.

The fishermen are able to obtain weather information through transistor radios and while the action is not officially approved, employers do not ban them from tuning in, South Korean news outlet Daily NK reported on Thursday.

"For the captains of fishing vessels in the West and East Sea involved in foreign currency work, it's important for them to know the exact dates (of events coming)," a source in North Pyongan province told Daily NK.

"They need to know the proper dates of typhoons and strong waves so that they can save the lives of their fishermen and the boats that go for tens of thousands of dollars."

The source said North Korean boat captains say that relying on weather news from North Korea is risky and that "you'll face the ghosts (face death)," and that by contrast they "have faith in South Korean forecasts."

The source said that in 2014 a group of fishermen made the fatal mistake of relying on North Korea's weather service before setting out – and never returned after a typhoon.

The economic changes taking place in North Korea are affecting other sectors, including transportation, South Korean outlet Newsis reported.

Free North Korea Radio, a South Korea-based news outlet, reported taxi-related crimes are on the rise, and that a young woman has been missing since early July after she took a taxi in Pyongyang's Taedong River district. That incident was followed by robberies that used a getaway taxi in Pyongyang's Potong district, according to a source that spoke to Free North Korea.