The Mokpo Coast Guard in South Jeolla Province announced on January 25 that at approximately 7:00 p.m. on January 24, it had seized two Chinese large-scale trawl fishing vessels operating illegally about 103 kilometers southwest of Gageodo Island, Sinan County (approximately 5.5 kilometers inside the eastern boundary of the Korea-China Provisional Measure Zone, within the Exclusive Economic Zone).
The Coast Guard deployed both aircraft and patrol vessels simultaneously to carry out a multi-layered operation to apprehend illegal large-scale trawl fishing vessels that were conducting guerrilla-style fishing activities in Korean waters at night.
The aircraft recorded the moment the nets were being hauled in, and a patrol vessel, which had been standing by nearby, moved at full speed to deploy a search team and swiftly apprehend the suspects.
During the boarding operation, some Chinese crew members fiercely resisted with weapons. In the process, a police officer fell from a high-speed boat and was injured. The Coast Guard escorted the seized vessels to a dedicated Coast Guard dock and confiscated 1 ton of illegally caught fish.
The Coast Guard plans to apply additional charges of obstruction of official duties with a deadly weapon against the Chinese crew members who threatened the officers and intends to seek severe punishment.
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