West Sea Coast Guard Inspects 64 Foreign Fishing Boats, Detains 1

Active Crackdown in Distant Seas Such as Gageodo and Eocheongdo Even at Night

The Joint Mobile Task Force of the West Sea Regional Coast Guard Headquarters (Commissioner Lee Myungjun), which is actively working to protect fishery resources and safeguard maritime sovereignty in the southern West Sea, inspected as many as 64 Chinese fishing vessels and seized one vessel in a single day on the 17th.

According to the West Sea Regional Coast Guard on the 18th, the Mokpo Coast Guard's 3015 patrol ship, together with the 1501 ship from the Busan Coast Guard, conducted a joint operation against foreign fishing vessels near 18 nautical miles northwest of Gageodo. They seized one Chinese fishing vessel for underreporting its catch and inspected 20 large Chinese fishing vessels, including those weighing 214 tons.

A high-speed boat carrying special task force members is approaching a Chinese fishing vessel for inspection and search. Provided by the West Sea Regional Coast Guard.

The 3015 ship continued its operation into the night, inspecting four Chinese fishing vessels near 28 nautical miles northwest of Gageodo. The 1509 ship, also from Mokpo, inspected four vessels in nearby waters and issued a warning to a Chinese fishing vessel that had falsified its crew list.

The 3010 and 1001 ships from Gunsan Coast Guard, along with the 1507 ship from Taean Coast Guard, also actively participated in day and night operations, inspecting 36 Chinese fishing vessels in the area 50 to 90 nautical miles southwest of Eocheongdo in a single day.

Lee Myungjun, Commissioner of the West Sea Regional Coast Guard, stated, "Since the formation of fishing grounds in the southern West Sea in early October, we have been proactively preventing illegal operations by foreign fishing vessels using patrol ships and low-altitude patrol flights. We will continue to do our utmost to protect fishery resources and ensure the safety and lives of the public during the winter season."