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Korean law enforcement authority abused by illegal Chinese fishing boats

Korean law enforcement authority abused by illegal Chinese fishing boats

Posted October. 10, 2016 07:13,   

Updated October. 10, 2016 07:25

한국어

Chinese fishing boats intentionally rammed into and sank a small speedboat of the Korean Coast Guard, which was cracking down on more than 40 Chinese boats engaged in illegal fishing in waters some 76 kilometers southwest of Socheong Island in Incheon on Friday afternoon. When eight coast guard officers got onboard a 100-ton Chinese fishing boat and tried to open a locked iron door using a cutter, another Chinese fishing boat rammed into a side of the Korean patrol boat, whose captain jumped off just before the boat sank. The Coast Guard fired dozens of shots with rifles and pistols defensively but the fishing boats ran away.

South Korea's Coast Guard Headquarters summoned a consul general at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Sunday and made a formal complaint for Chinese fishing boasts' illegal fishing and attempted murder. Chinese fishing boats, which are armed as heavily as pirate boats, are often violently resisting crackdown by the Korean authority even by using axes, knives and bamboo spears, while engaging in illegal fishing after violating into Korea’s exclusive economic zone. In December 2011, coast guard sergeant Lee Cheong-ho was stabbed to death by a Chinese fisherman, who resisted crackdown. The South Korean government repeatedly requested China to clamp down on illegal fishing, but nothing has changed. If China values Seoul-Beijing ties, it should identify boats that ran away and sternly punish the fishermen responsible.

Many critics say that since the Korea Coast Guard was annexed it into the Public Safety and Security Ministry following the 2014 sinking of the Sewol ferry, Korea’s response to China’s illegal fishing has weakened. Again this time, only two 4.5-ton patrol boats attempted to crack down on Chinese fishing boats that responded collectively and systematically, which is overly ambitious to some extent. As the Korea Coast Guard, which lacks manpower and equipment, has only tried to shoo away Chinese fishing boats, rather than arresting them, Chinese fishing boats are freely moving around in Korean waters as if in their own waters.

Some news reports suggested the Public Safety and Security Ministry allegedly blocked the Coast Guard from disclosing the Friday incident to the media. If Korea let Chinese fishing boats continue illegal fishing while being wary of Beijing, China will have little reason to block their fishing boats from engaging in illegal acts. It is the grave reality that South Korean fishermen are being curbed from engaging in fishing near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea due to concern over possible clash with North Korea, and have no choice but to let Chinese fishing boats engaged in illegal fishing of all fish, big and small. The Korean public feel anger to see the Korea Coast Guard being abused and ridiculed by Chinese fishing boats while failing to properly exercise its sovereign rights within our own waters.



한기흥기자 eligius@donga.com