Body of young boy found near border island believed to be North Korean

The body of a young boy found last month in waters near the inter-Korean border likely drifted from North Korea, the Incheon Coast Guard said Monday.

Authorities cited signs of a parasitic infection now rare in South Korea and the absence of a match in the country’s missing-person records.

Forensic testing found traces of ascariasis in the child’s small intestine. The infection is caused by intestinal roundworms and, while common in many parts of the world, is rarely detected in South Korea.

The Coast Guard also searched a national missing-person database but found no records matching the body. The child has not been formally identified, but authorities said the forensic findings and database search pointed to a likely North Korean origin.

The body was discovered July 25 off Jumundo, an island in Incheon’s Ganghwa County near North Korean waters. Police received a report that “what looked like a mannequin or a baby” was floating near the shore.

The body was so badly decomposed that investigators could not recover fingerprints. It measured between 110 and 120 centimeters in height, and the National Forensic Service estimated that it was a boy around 6 years old.

The Coast Guard found no signs of foul play and plans to close the investigation after completing the remaining procedures.