How is it that the world beyond Beijing and Pyongyang becomes aware of Chinese-North Korean fishing disputes in the Yellow Sea? North Korea remains silent on such matters, so information is distributed almost purely through reports in mainland Chinese media–in other words, we hear about such events when Beijing needs and wants them to become known. When Chinese fishermen are harassed and detained by North Korean patrol boats, the story is thus not only about the event itself, but how, when, and why the central government in Beijing releases information about the matter.
Read the whole essay and translation of the Xinjingbao article describing the event here, at Sino-NK.
Adam Cathcart 