[Asia Economy Military Specialist Reporter Yang Nak-gyu]Since the restoration of the inter-Korean military communication line on the 27th of last month, North Korea is reportedly providing South Korea with detailed information about foreign vessels illegally fishing near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea.
According to government sources on the 2nd, since the 27th of last month, North Korea has been regularly notifying South Korea via the West Sea military communication line about vessels (Chinese) illegally fishing near the West Sea NLL. The exchange of information between the two Koreas is conducted via fax.
The source explained, "North Korea notifies us every day at 9 a.m. with specific details about how many vessels are located at which longitude and latitude," adding, "There are times when the number of illegally fishing vessels identified by our side differs by one or two vessels, but most of the time they match."
A military official stated, "The notification of illegal fishing vessel information contributes to preventing accidental clashes in the West Sea," and evaluated, "This is because we can compare the number of vessels identified by our side with the information sent by the North."
South Korea also provides North Korea with detailed information about illegal fishing vessels. Currently, it is known that about 20 to 30 Chinese fishing vessels are illegally fishing in the maritime area around the NLL. The military communication lines in the West and East Sea sectors are operating normally every morning and afternoon.
However, North Korea is reportedly not yet responding to South Korea's calls made through the international merchant ship common network (hotline) between naval vessels.
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