White Powder on North Korean Man's Corpse... It Was Not Drugs but Baekban

Last Month's Discovered Corpse in Ganghwa Examined by National Forensic Service
Authorities "Will Hand Over the Body to the North Side"

The object hanging from the leg of a body presumed to be a North Korean resident, found on the coast of Ganghwa Island, Incheon on the 19th of last month, was confirmed to be "baekban" (alum), not drugs.

According to the Ministry of Unification on the 11th, the white powder found on the body at the time was suspected to be drugs and was sent to the National Forensic Service for analysis. The substance was identified as baekban, and the drug component test also came back negative.

Baekban, also known as myeongban, refers to a white double salt composed of sulfate salts of monovalent metals such as potassium, ammonium, and sodium, and sulfate salts of trivalent metals such as aluminum, chromium, and iron. When added to wheat flour dough, it stretches and tightens like rubber, so it is a substance commonly used in most noodle products. It also has mild water purification and hemostatic effects and is used in natural dyeing.

On the 27th of last month, the National Intelligence Service announced, "On the 19th, our military discovered a body presumed to be a North Korean civilian male on the coast of Ganghwa Island and conducted a joint intelligence investigation with related agencies." The body was reportedly found by fishermen engaged in fishing activities in the waters around Ganghwa Island. At the time of discovery, the body was wearing shorts and had styrofoam attached to it. The deceased was a male in his 20s to 30s, 167 cm tall, and was presumed to be a North Korean resident based on personal belongings such as a North Korean train ticket. Authorities believe that this man died while attempting to defect by crossing the Northern Limit Line (NLL), using a life buoy as a flotation device.

Lee Hyo-jung, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Unification [Photo by Yonhap News]

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