By Lee Hyo-sik
A growing number of Chinese are trying to illegally enter Korea through its southwestern coast, which is largely overlooked and forcing the maritime police authorities to beef up surveillance on foreign boats making unauthorized entries into the nation’s waters.
Despite a number of radar stations and other surveillance mechanisms installed at the large islands in the southwestern coast, the police and coast guards have failed to detect ships carrying Chinese stowaways.
Coast guards have been able to apprehend illegal entrants only after being notified of their sighting by residents.
On Nov. 21, a 10-ton China-registered boat unloaded seven Chinese men on the beach of an island in Shinan County, South Jeolla Province. A week ago, they left China’s Tsingtao port after each person paid the captain of the ship three million won for the illicit voyage.
Upon arrival, the men claimed that they immediately climbed the nearby mountain and spent the night there.
When they came down to the village early next morning, they were spotted by a resident who reported their sighting to the police. Police officers were able to catch all of them after a 10-hour manhunt, the Mokpo Police Station said.
Earlier on Nov. 17, a group of seven Chinese men and one Chinese woman illegally slipped into an island community in Jindo County, South Jeolla Province. They had left a small port in China’s eastern province of JiangSu to attempt an unlawful entry into Korea to work here. They were also apprehended by the police after being notified by residents.
The growing incidents of illegal entries by Chinese nationals exposes the serious flaws in Korea’s maritime surveillance system.
Maritime patrol ships are operating at all times in the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) surrounding the southwestern costal islands. Additionally, several radar stations are in operation at major islands along the coast. But over the past week, they failed to deter the boats carrying Chinese stowaways before they reached the shore.