Breaking! China urges North Korea to release Chinese fishing boat, 16 crew; owner says ransom demanded

China says it is urging North Korea to release a Chinese fishing boat whose owner publicized the plight of its 16 crew in an online account saying they were seized by gun-wielding North Koreans earlier this month and held for ransom.

Yu Xuejun, who wasn’t aboard the boat, wrote on his microblog late Saturday that North Koreans seized his boat on May 5 in what he says were Chinese waters and that they demanded a 600,000 yuan ($100,000) ransom.

[link to www.washingtonpost.com]

Doom on!