Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police 'Detect' Illegal Acts of Unauthorized Use of Public Waters

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has uncovered a large number of illegal activities, including unauthorized occupation of public waters without permission.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police Unit announced on the 29th that from July 12 to August 27, it conducted intensive crackdowns around the coastal areas of five cities?Hwaseong, Ansan, Siheung, Pyeongtaek, and Gimpo?and detected 14 cases of illegal activities, including violations of the Public Waters Act.

The violations include ▲ unauthorized occupation of public waters (6 cases) ▲ unauthorized occupation of fishing harbor areas (1 case) ▲ unreported food service operations (3 cases) ▲ unregistered and unauthorized fishing (2 cases) ▲ harvesting aquatic products during the closed season (1 case) ▲ illegal fishing gear storage (1 case), among others.

Among the major cases uncovered, a sashimi restaurant ㄱ located in Daebudo, Ansan City, was found to have installed a furnace on nearby public waters without permission from the competent authority since December 2020, constituting unauthorized occupation. To use public waters, prior approval must be obtained from the relevant authority. Violations are punishable under the Public Waters Act by imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million KRW.

Another sashimi restaurant ㄴ in Daebudo, Ansan City, operated an unreported sashimi business in the public waters area without permission since 2018 and was caught during this crackdown.

Boat owner ㄷ, who operated an unregistered fishing vessel, was caught during this crackdown in August while illegally fishing for about 15 kg of blue crabs at night near Hyungdo in the Siwha Lake area. Fishing vessels must be registered under the Fishing Vessel Act, and fishing activities require a license under the Fisheries Act. Violations of these laws are punishable by imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million KRW each.

Boat owner ㄹ, registered in Incheon City, was caught storing prohibited blue crabs in the fish hold about 640 meters (0.4 miles) southwest of Oido Pier in Siheung City on the 19th of last month, one day before the closed season ended. Under the Fisheries Resources Management Act, this is punishable by imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million KRW.

The special judicial police unit plans to refer all violating businesses to the prosecution and notify the relevant administrative authorities.

Yoon Tae-wan, head of the Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Unit, emphasized, "Public waters are public goods that supply fishery resources and provide comfortable resting spaces for residents. We will continue investigations to block illegal activities in public waters so that they can restore their function as public goods."