The Coast Guard said Thursday it will seek arrest warrants for 11 Chinese fishermen alleged to have been fishing illegally in South Korean waters, on suspicion of using violence against officers during a recent raid that resulted in the death of a Chinese crew member.
The Coast Guard in the coastal city of Mokpo, 410 kilometers south of Seoul, arrested 14 Chinese fishermen on Wednesday for questioning over a clash with Coast Guard officers the previous day who were attempting to crack down on illegal fishing in the Yellow Sea. During the clash, a 44-year-old Chinese crew member surnamed Zhang was killed.
Of the 14 fishermen under investigation, the Coast Guard said it has proved violence committed by 11 people aboard the same ship that carried the deceased man, and will seek arrest warrants for them for suspected obstruction of justice.
Announcing its interim investigation results on Wednesday, the Coast Guard said Zhang violently wielded a handsaw to stave off South Korean officers, prompting one of them to fire a rubber bullet "according to the formal crackdown guideline."
The three other fishermen will be booked for violating Korea's economic exclusive zone, the Coast Guard added.
"The pitiful incident took place in the course of our raid, but the fishermen who posed threats to raiding officers with lethal weapons should be dealt with according to the law," an officer said, vowing "stern punishments for any illegal activities in Korean waters in the future."
The authorities said the exact cause of Zhang's death has yet to be confirmed, and will conduct an autopsy later in the day to verify if the rubber bullet killed him.
The Korean government again expressed regret over the death of the fisherman, and called for dealing with the case "in a calm and objective manner" so as not to harm bilateral relations between Seoul and Beijing.
"I think it is a very regrettable incident, regardless of who should bear responsibility for it," Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young said during a regular briefing session. "I'd like to offer my deep condolences to him and the bereaved family."
On Tuesday, the foreign ministry said it had notified the Chinese embassy in Seoul about the incident and expressed regrets over "the unfortunate incident."
"As valuable neighbors to each other, South Korea and China maintain strategic cooperative partnerships. The incident that took place accidentally should not cause any emotional conflicts among the public or diplomatic tension between the two sides. In this regard, calm responses based upon exact facts are required," Cho said.
He also asked for "cooperation from the Chinese side" in devising "fundamental solutions to illegal fishing to prevent the recurrence of such cases."
Chinese fishing boats have continually crossed into South Korean waters in the Yellow Sea in search of abundant fishery resources, often leading to violence by the Chinese crews during raids by the South Korean Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard captured or sent back more than 530 such Chinese ships in 2011, according to the farm and fisheries ministry. As of last week, 333 ships had been caught fishing illegally, with the total number for the entire year expected to reach around 700, it added. (Yonhap)