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Elite coast guard squad to counter Chinese fishing boats

Elite coast guard squad to counter Chinese fishing boats

Posted July. 12, 2016 07:50,   

Updated July. 12, 2016 07:58

한국어

An elite coast guard squad will be constantly deployed in Yeonpyeong Island to crack down on Chinese fishing boats that widely engage in illegal fishing there, while the bails for unregistered Chinese fishing boats will be raised significantly.

The Oceans and Fisheries Ministry announced on Monday measures to root out illegal fishing by Chinese fishing boats and support Korean fishermen in the five Yellow Sea islands.

The measures are being taken due to judgement that illegal activities by Chinese fishing boats have gone beyond the permissible level. When crab fishing season (April – June, September - November) starts every year, about 200 to 300 Chinese fishing boats engage in illegal fishing en masse, often crossing the Northern Limit Line into South Korean waters near the South Korean islands of Byeongnyeong, Daecheong, Socheong and Yeonpyeong. As Chinese fishermen use lethal weapons to counter crackdowns, South Korean coast guard officials are exposed to safety risk as well.

To counter this, the South Korean government will seek to establish a taskforce under the Public Safety and Security Ministry, which will be in charge of cracking down on illegal fishing by Chinese fishing boats in five Yellow Sea islands. The ministry will also constantly deploy two elite coast guard units in Yeonpyeong Island. When the crab fishing season begins, additional mid-size coast guard boats and bullet-proof boats will be deployed, while the members of elite coast guard unit and a special mobile operation squad will be doubled from the current level to a total of 104 officers. Captains of Chinese fishing boats that are caught for illegal fishing will be arrested in principle for interrogation, and come to face up to a maximum fine, according to the government’s new plan.

The government will also increase the maximum amount of bail imposed on Chinese fishing boats that are not authorized by South Korea from the current 200 million won (174,000 US dollars) to 300 million won (261,000 dollars). The bail is a kind of fine that is levied on boat owners after seizing catches by Chinese fishing boats that are caught during illegal fishing, before handing them over the ship owners. Diplomatically, Seoul plans to urge Beijing to take practical measures to curb illegal fishing through diverse routes including the Korea-China joint fisheries committee (Oceans and Fisheries Ministry), and the fishing issue cooperative meeting (Foreign Affairs Ministry).



백연상기자 baek@donga.com