SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's largest port of Nampo has frozen for the second winter in a row due to a severe cold spell, an environmental research institute said Friday.

   The trade port, the marine gateway of the country's capital Pyongyang, is believed to have been frozen since Jan. 6, according to the Korea Center for Atmospheric Environment Research, citing satellite images.

   Chung Yong-seung, head of the research institute, said it is rare for the port to freeze two winters in a row, a development he said could have a negative impact on the North's fishing industry.

   North Korea's catch reached 663,000 metric tons in 2009, the latest year for which statistics are available, according to the South Korean government data.

   A cold snap gripped the Korean Peninsula earlier this month.

  



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