North Korea demands Japan pay compensation for sinking boat

"We strongly demand that the Japanese government compensate for the infliction of the material damage by sinking our vessel," the spokesman said. "If such an incident occurs again, Japan will face an undesirable consequence." Japan's foreign ministry dismissed North Korea's statement as "unacceptable," saying the collision occurred when a North Korean fishing boat took a sharp turn while a Japanese patrol boat was warning it to sail away.

Copyright Reuters, 2019