The chief of a coastal county on the west coast has sent a letter to President Park Geun-hye calling for a crackdown on illegal fishing by Chinese nationals in Korean waters.
Ongjin County Governor Jo Yoon-gil sent the letter also to Ocean and Fisheries Minister Lee Ju-young, National Defense Minister Han Min-koo, and the heads of the ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, according to the county office, Wednesday.
In the five-page letter sent to Park on Nov. 13, Jo said Chinese boats have increasingly violated territorial waters in the face of the Korea Coast Guard being disbanded. He claimed this encroachment is damaging fishermen in Ongjin, Incheon, and nearby islands.
On Tuesday, the government disbanded the Coast Guard citing its poor response to the April 16 sinking of the ferry Sewol; its role will now come under the remit of a new public safety agency.
“Dozens of Chinese boats used to fish by crossing the Northern Limit Line from the North Korean side. But these days a fleet of 500-700 boats has intruded into South Korean fishing grounds, sweeping fry and destroying or stealing fishing gear that Korean fishers had set up,” Jo said.
He said Korean fishermen’s anger has now reached its peak.
“They have demanded a strong crackdown multiple times, but the government is showing a lukewarm attitude toward Chinese vessels’ illegal acts, while it comes down on Korean ships’ illegal acts, such as night fishing,” he said.
Jo asked the government to prepare special measures, such as stationing a patrol boat on one of the islands in the West Sea so it can stop Chinese ships’ illegal fishing.
He said the region is Korean territory, and as such, should be protected for national security.
“As chief of Ongjin County, I can’t ignore the situation where a fishermen’s livelihood is threatened and the regional economy becomes stagnant. Please understand the miserable feelings of people on these islands.”
Chinese fishing boats’ illegal fishing has been a longstanding problem in the area. The Coast Guard detained 534 boats in 2011, 467 in 2012 and 487 in 2013. This year, it detained 98 boats for the first seven months: the number was reduced not because Chinese boats didn’t come for fishing, but because almost all large-sized Korean patrol boats were mobilized to the Sewol accident for months.
Last month, a captain of a Chinese vessel was shot dead by a Coast Guard officer in waters near Wangdeung Island, Buan County, North Jeolla Province, while Chinese sailors assaulted officers during a boarding.
KoreaTimes.co.kr