Coastguards consider firearms use

By Lee Hyo-sik

The Korea Coast Guard (KCG) said Tuesday it will consider the more active use of firearms against violent Chinese sailors illegally fishing in South Korean waters, following the murder of a KCG officer a day earlier.

The tough reaction came one day after Corporal Lee Cheong-ho, 41, was stabbed to death by the captain of a Chinese boat unlawfully operating in national waters and another officer Lee Nak-hoon, 33, sustained critical injuries.

KCG officers have so far refrained from using pistols during raids on Chinese trawlers, despite violent resistance from their crews, in order not to invite protests from Beijing and not to cause controversy over possible human rights violations.

But with Chinese sailors becoming increasingly violent, a growing number of KCG officers have sustained injuries over the past year.

The latest death of the 41-year-old corporal has forced the authorities to take a more aggressive approach toward Chinese fishermen engaging in illicit activities in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

``We will consider the immediate use of firearms if Chinese sailors try to assault our officers with deadly weapons. To more effectively deal with the illegal activities of Chinese trawlers in our territorial waters, we will increase the number of officers and introduce more up-to-date equipment,’’ KCG Commissioner Mo Kang-in said.

Mo expressed deep regrets over Lee’s death, stressing that the Coast Guard will take sterner measures to stop illegal fishing by Chinese vessels.

Under current regulations, coastguards are allowed to use stun guns and rubber pellet launchers when cracking down on illegally operating fishing ships. Only if their lives are threatened are they permitted to fire live ammunition.

During a raid on a 66-ton Chinese boat in the waters near the maritime border with North Korea in the West Sea early Monday morning, the captain of the ship stabbed Lee Cheong-ho in the ribs with a sharp object. He was pronounced dead several hours later due to excessive bleeding.

The Coast Guard seized the Chinese fishing ship and took its nine sailors into custody.

The Incheon KCG said Tuesday that it will seek an arrest warrant for the captain on murder charges, as well as poaching and obstructing official duty. Investigators have collected fingerprints from the murder weapon found in the boat’s steering house and sent them for forensic analysis.

The 42-year-old Chinese captain has denied murdering the senior Lee and injuring the junior Lee.

``Even though the captain denied the charges, we will charge him with murder as soon as we receive an autopsy report on Lee’s body and evidence analysis from the National Forensic Service,’’ an official at Incheon KCG said.

He also said investigators will seek arrest warrants for the eight remaining sailors on charges of poaching and obstruction of official duty. The sailors have admitted to illegal fishing, the official said.

The KCG seized another Chinese fishing vessel carrying 10 sailors on suspicion of fishing illegally together with the first ship. It said investigators are looking into suspicions that the trawler deliberately rammed the first boat to impede the coastguards’ raid.