By Matt Blake PUBLISHED: 11:39 EST, 30 November 2012 | UPDATED: 11:42 EST, 30 November 2012 A mystery ramshackle boat carrying five rotten corpses has washed onto a beach on the coast of Japan. The 13-metre wooden vessel was found at Sado Island and had what appeared to be faint Korean markings on its side prompting speculation that it may have come from North Korea. Various belongings and rubbish from food packaging was also found scattered inside, suggesting its occupants may have been attempting to flee the world's most secretive nation but became lost at sea. Lost at sea: The 13-metre wooden vessel was found at Sado Island and had what appeared to be faint Korean markings on its side prompting speculation that it may have come from North Korea
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The 13-metre wooden vessel was found at Sado Island and had what appeared to be faint Korean markings on its side
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Speculation that the dead may have been fleeing North Korea
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Various belongings and rubbish from food packaging was also found
Nearly six million @placeholder - a quarter of the population - live in extreme poverty due to food shortages in the country.