Korea installs floating structure to counter China's steel structure in overlapping maritime zone

This photo shows Oceans Minister Kang Do-hyung speaking at a ministry meeting in Seoul, provided by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Feb. 25. Yonhap

Korea has set up a floating structure in the overlapping waters with China in the West Sea as a countermeasure to the latter's recent installation of a steel structure in the area, Seoul's oceans minister said Wednesday.

"We have taken countermeasures by (installing) a large and stationary floating structure there to start an environmental investigation in the area," Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kang Do-hyung said in a parliamentary legislative committee meeting.

Last month, the two countries faced a two-hour standoff as Chinese authorities blocked Seoul's attempt to investigate Beijing's construction of a steel structure in the Provisional Maritime Zone (PMZ) near Ieo Island, off Korea's southwest coast.

The PMZ is an area where the Exclusive Economic Zones of Korea and China overlap. The two sides can only operate fishing vessels there and jointly manage marine resources, as any activities beyond navigation and fishing are prohibited in the area.

Despite the agreement, China has installed several large steel structures in the zone, including one in April and another in May of last year, and another earlier this year, saying they are for aqua farming.

Kang said the government is keeping a "close eye" on Chinese activities in the PMZ and was conducting marine science research and studies on traits of the Chinese structure.

Seoul's foreign ministry has said it was working with related government agencies to ensure Korea's legitimate maritime rights and interests in the West Sea and addressed its concerns in a meeting with the Chinese Embassy here. (Yonhap)