Korean and Japanese patrol ships jointly investigated whether a Korean fishing vessel violated the boundary of their exclusive economic zones (EEZs) near the Dokdo Islets in the East Sea, Thursday.
The interception took place 36-natutical miles southeast of Dokdo and ended without any clashes.
According to the Coast Guard and Cheong Wa Dae, the 29-ton fishing boat, 33 Ssangyong, reportedly sailed 42 miles southeast of Dokdo around 9 a.m. and violated the boundary of the EEZ.
Japanese patrol ships attempted to stop the boat for investigation, but the Korean boat fled and radioed a report of the incident to the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative (NFFC). The NFFC then asked for the mobilization of Coast Guard vessels to the site, where a joint investigation took place aboard a Japanese patrol ship.
The 9-member crew of the fishing boat is expected to be released after submitting a written note promising to pay a fine.
The crew claimed that they drifted across the EEZ due to an engine malfunction, an official from Cheong Wa Dae said.
Dokdo is a group of SouthKorean rocky islets lying about 87 kilometers east of Ulleung Island in the East Sea. Japan’s claims to Dokdo have been a source of tension between the two countries.
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