By Lee Hyo-sik
The European Union (EU) will likely lift its designation of Korea as an illegal fishing country in late April, according to officials at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Wednesday.
A senior ministry official said the EU delegates, who are currently here for a meeting with their Korean counterparts, expressed satisfaction with a range of measures the government has taken since November 2013 when the EU named the country as a preliminary illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) nation.
The two sides held meetings in Seoul, Feb. 24 and 25, a final face-to-face encounter before the EU decides on Korea's illegal fishing status during its general assembly scheduled in late April.
"EU delegates gave high marks to our strenuous efforts to eradicate illicit fishing practices by local vessels," Yeon Yeong-jin, deputy minister for the ministry's marine policy office, told The Korea Times after Wednesday's meeting. "It is too early to say whether Korea will be taken off the list of illegal fishing countries. But our EU counterparts expressed optimism that the union of 28 European nations would clear Korea."
The Korea Times sought to obtain comments from members of the European delegation, led by Lowri Evans, director-general of the EU's Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MARE), on the issue, but could not because delegates were not allowed to talk to local media outlets under a pre-arrangement with the ministry.
Yeon said the government has met all the demands from the EU over the past two years, adding that it will continue to cooperate to introduce a standardized fishing log system and other measures to root out illegal fishing practices.
EU delegates will leave Korea today and report their findings to the MARE executive committee. The EU will then decide on Korea's status during its general assembly slated for late April.
Two years ago, the EU named Korea as a preliminary IUU nation, along with Ghana and Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles.
Korean fishing companies have been accused of repetitively engaging in illegal fishing in West African waters, while the fisheries ministry has been accused of being too lenient on the owners of the vessels.
Once officially designated as an IUU country, a nation faces substantial disadvantages in trade. In Korea's case, all fishery exports to EU nations, which amount to about $100 million a year, would be banned and Korean vessels' access to EU ports limited.
On Feb. 10, the United States removed Korea from its list of preliminary IUU nations after the government revised the Ocean Industry Development Act, which mandates deep-sea fishing boats to install a vessel monitoring system. The revised law also requires the establishment of a monitoring center in Busan.
The European Union (EU) will likely lift its designation of Korea as an illegal fishing country in late April, according to officials at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Wednesday.
A senior ministry official said the EU delegates, who are currently here for a meeting with their Korean counterparts, expressed satisfaction with a range of measures the government has taken since November 2013 when the EU named the country as a preliminary illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) nation.
The two sides held meetings in Seoul, Feb. 24 and 25, a final face-to-face encounter before the EU decides on Korea's illegal fishing status during its general assembly scheduled in late April.
"EU delegates gave high marks to our strenuous efforts to eradicate illicit fishing practices by local vessels," Yeon Yeong-jin, deputy minister for the ministry's marine policy office, told The Korea Times after Wednesday's meeting. "It is too early to say whether Korea will be taken off the list of illegal fishing countries. But our EU counterparts expressed optimism that the union of 28 European nations would clear Korea."
The Korea Times sought to obtain comments from members of the European delegation, led by Lowri Evans, director-general of the EU's Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MARE), on the issue, but could not because delegates were not allowed to talk to local media outlets under a pre-arrangement with the ministry.
Yeon said the government has met all the demands from the EU over the past two years, adding that it will continue to cooperate to introduce a standardized fishing log system and other measures to root out illegal fishing practices.
EU delegates will leave Korea today and report their findings to the MARE executive committee. The EU will then decide on Korea's status during its general assembly slated for late April.
Two years ago, the EU named Korea as a preliminary IUU nation, along with Ghana and Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles.
Korean fishing companies have been accused of repetitively engaging in illegal fishing in West African waters, while the fisheries ministry has been accused of being too lenient on the owners of the vessels.
Once officially designated as an IUU country, a nation faces substantial disadvantages in trade. In Korea's case, all fishery exports to EU nations, which amount to about $100 million a year, would be banned and Korean vessels' access to EU ports limited.
On Feb. 10, the United States removed Korea from its list of preliminary IUU nations after the government revised the Ocean Industry Development Act, which mandates deep-sea fishing boats to install a vessel monitoring system. The revised law also requires the establishment of a monitoring center in Busan.
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