S. Korea should stop Chinese boats from abusing fishing grounds

The National Intelligence Service of South Korea reported to the parliamentary Intelligence Committee on Friday that North Korea sold fishing rights for 1,500 fishing boats, or three times from the number in the previous years, to China for 30 million U.S. dollars. Pyongyang thus received about 20,000 US dollars per boat in selling its fishing right to Chinese fishing boats. Chinese fishing boats engaged in fishing in North Korean waters had been paid about 40,000 dollars per boat after the agreement made between the Chinese deep-sea fishing association and the North Korean joint fishing association in 2004, but the fishing fee has effectively been cut in half. As North Korea’s weapons export fell by 88 percent and its coal export also declined by 40 percent last year due to international sanctions against the North, Pyongyang seems to be heavily resorting to fishing fees to bring in foreign currency.

Chinese fishing boats that bought fishing rights from North Korea are engaging in illegal fishing at rich fishing grounds near the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong in the Yellow Sea, and are even entering waters near the Northern Limit Line. As North Korean fishing boats emerged in the mouth of the Han River, a gray area created due to confrontation between the two Koreas, the South Korean military and coast guard have launched crackdown on them en masse in the waters for the first time since the signing of the armistice agreement in 1953. The National Intelligence Service said that there have been lots of complains of North Koreans for sharp decrease in their catch and environmental pollution due to Chinese fishing boats. However, South Korean fishermen are suffering even bigger damage as Chinese fishing boats violate and abuse fishing grounds in the Yellow Sea.

Visiting China last week, South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn requested Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang to crack down on illegal fishing by Chinese fishing boats. Xi replied, “We are making sincere efforts to address the problem, but it takes time.” The Chinese leader indirectly indicated that Beijing cannot afford to crack down on them to the extent Seoul expects. More than 1 million Chinese fishing boats and over 30 million fishermen are engaged in fishing in the Yellow Sea. Xi’s pledge to create the Yellow Sea as "sea of peace, cooperation and friendship" during his first meeting with President Park Geun-hye in June 2013 is becoming a blank promise.

The U.N. imposed export ban on the North mining resources such as coal and iron ore through the U.N. Security Council Resolution 2270 on March 2, but it did not include the fishing rights in the measures meant to block the North’s funding sources. The U.N. should include fishing rights if and when strengthening its sanctions against the North for additional provocation, since all foreign currency that flows into the North are highly likely to be redirected for development of nuclear weapons and missiles. Seoul should not turn a blind eye to the situation where transaction of fishing rights between North Korea and China is directly leading to massive damage to South Korean fishermen.

한기흥기자 eligius@donga.com