Advertisement

Illegal Chinese boats strain South Korea at disputed maritime border

Intrusive Chinese boats have been cited as one of the reasons for the delay in the South Korean Coast Guard’s response to the Sewol ferry sinking, and their numbers have skyrocketed.

By Elizabeth Shim
Chinese fishermen prepare their boats ahead of the coming high tide from the Yellow Sea in an old, small harbor in the coastal city Qingdao, China. More fishermen are encroaching into South Korean waters and Seoul has doubled patrol power near its maritime border with North Korea. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI
Chinese fishermen prepare their boats ahead of the coming high tide from the Yellow Sea in an old, small harbor in the coastal city Qingdao, China. More fishermen are encroaching into South Korean waters and Seoul has doubled patrol power near its maritime border with North Korea. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

SEOUL, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- South Korea has doubled the number of navy patrol boats along the disputed maritime border with North Korea as more Chinese fishing boats encroach into Seoul's maritime zone.

South Korean Coast Guard officials said the number of Chinese boats has skyrocketed. This year alone, about 300 Chinese fishing vessels were crossing south of the Northern Limit Line, South Korean outlet News 1 reported.

Advertisement

According to the Coast Guard, that number is a 20 percent increase from previous years, and an average of 40-50 Chinese ships now trespass into South Korean waters daily.

Intrusive Chinese boats have been cited as one of the reasons for the delay in the South Korean Coast Guard's response to the Sewol ferry sinking in April 2014. As more maritime patrol was reallocated to Korean coastal areas facing the Yellow Sea, less manpower was available to rescue passengers on the sinking ship.

On Friday, the Coast Guard said more Chinese ships are crossing into the South during the October-November crab season, and one unidentified official said it is possible North Korea has been strategically pushing the Chinese boats out of its fishing zone and sending them to the South in order to strain Seoul's military.

Advertisement

In past cases, North Korea has sent its fishing boats south of the NLL, while South Korea Coast Guard was preoccupied with illegal Chinese boats.

Newly appointed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lee Sun-jin said at a hearing on Friday Seoul remains ready in the areas near Yeonpyeong Island, and that the North Korean military is very likely to launch a surprise attack at sea, South Korean outlet Newsis reported.

Tensions have subsided at the maritime border since August, but on Thursday Lee Sang-hoon of South Korea's Marine Corps said a North Korean crossed the NLL in late September to defect to the South, Yonhap reported. The North Korean civilian had been swept up by the currents and was rescued by South Korean Marines when he shouted for help.

The man is under investigation, Lee said.

Latest Headlines