Yoon, I.J., 2023. A review of the North Korean shipping industry: Ships, companies, and registered owners. In: Lee, J.L.; Lee, H.; Min, B.I.; Chang, J.-I.; Cho, G.T.; Yoon, J.-S., and Lee, J. (eds.), Multidisciplinary Approaches to Coastal and Marine Management. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 116, 299-303. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208.

This study reviews the North Korean shipping industry, focusing on their ships and owners. The materials used in the study were drawn from the International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS), Clarksons Group's World Fleet Register (WFR), and NK Pro's NK Live Ship Tracking. This study's list of North Korean ships includes their Flag of Convenience (FOC) ships; thus, it differs from the conventional quoted national fleet. Most North Korean ships are general cargo ships, with less than 10,000 dead weight tons and gross tonnages, 34 years old on average, and built in Japan and China. The nationalities of the foreign owners of North Korean ships are primarily Chinese. More than half of the flag states of North Korean FOC ships are unknown. This study offers five critical findings drawn from the cross-checking and revision of the materials: fishing vessel conversion, domestic and potentially illegal international sailing, changes in foreign-based owners, a decrease in FOC ships, and an increase in subsidiaries. These findings help us better understand the current status and features of the North Korean shipping industry. As a snapshot of North Korean shipping, this study might have missed information due to ‘unknown’ parts and time differences between the databases. Nonetheless, it utilizes and updates the best available materials, drawing out meaningful results and findings in the research period. This study contributed to the research methods for studying the North Korean shipping industry by analyzing its ships and owners. In addition to this theoretical implication, it provided practical implications by demonstrating recent North Korean shipping industry changes. Comparative studies between North and South Korea or other countries with conditions similar to North Korea should be conducted soon to understand these changes better.