Russia’s Border Service saw an “especially acute” escalation in the illegal entry and detention of North Korean fishermen in the country's waters last year, the organization's top official said in an interview this week.

Speaking with the TASS News Agency on Wednesday, Vladimir Kulishov said that the vessels and fishermen detained by the Border Service -- a branch of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) -- in 2019 grew to over ten times the amount detained in 2014 through 2018 combined.