By Lee Hyo-sik
Five Korea Coast Guard (KCG) officers sustained injuries while rounding up Chinese fishing boats illegally operating in South Korean waters Saturday, according to the KCG Sunday.
This is the latest in a series of recent incidents in which officers enforcing the law were injured by violent Chinese fishermen. There have been growing calls for the Korean government to take a tougher stance against these trawlers unlawfully fishing in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
According to the Jeju Coast Guard, a 1,500-ton patrol vessel seized a Chinese boat illegally fishing in the waters 12 kilometers northwest of the resort island at 4:25 a.m. Saturday. While towing the trawler to Jeju, about 25 Chinese boats illegally operating in nearby waters approached the ship and demanded the release of the captured trawler.
Soon after the patrol vessel called for reinforcements, 12 more Coast Guard vessels and two helicopters arrived at the scene and began rounding up the Chinese trawlers. Two more Chinese boats were captured but in the process, five officers were wounded by sailors resisting arrest with sharp objects. It is unknown how many Chinese fishermen were taken into custody.
“We are currently questioning the fishermen onboard three seized trawlers about how and why they illegally operated in our waters. We will charge them with poaching and obstruction of official duty,” a senior officer at the Jeju Coast Guard said. A Chinese boat and its sailors are usually released after paying a 30 million won ($27,000) fine.
The officer then said the KCG will strengthen a clampdown on illegal fishing by Chinese boats to preserve marine resources in Korean waters and protect the interests of local fishermen.
The number of Chinese fishing boats operating in the nation’s EEZ has surged in recent years. Not only in the West Sea and the South Sea, they have begun venturing into the East Sea, indiscriminately catching fish regardless of their size and intentionally sabotaging fishing gear installed by Korean fishermen.
Against this backdrop, the KCG has beefed up its crackdown on the Chinese boats. On Nov. 17, the Taean Coast Guard seized a total of 10 Chinese trawlers by mobilizing 12 patrol vessels, four helicopters and 30 members of the special maritime forces.
But the intensifying clampdown has also pushed up the number of injured officers.
For instance, a 63-ton Chinese boat intentionally rammed a 3,000-ton Coast Guard patrol vessel in waters off Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, injuring four officers. The Chinese boat sank and two sailors were killed as a result of the clash.