"Cutting Out the Sea’s Cancer Cells"... Park Jiwon Draws His Sword Against Illegal Farms off Wando

Vicious cycle created by outdated leniency of "just trying to make a living"
Illegal farms spread as Coast Guard and local governments hand down slap-on-the-wrist penalties
Middlemen's manipulation amid fishermen's tears of blood... Park Jiwon urges "strict investigation"

"While law-abiding fishermen who have been legitimately protecting the sea are shedding tears of blood as they look out over empty waters, illegal activities are spreading like poisonous mushrooms. To cut out the cancer cells in our seas, we need bone-cuttingly tough crackdowns and strict investigations."

The waters off Wando in South Jeolla Province are being ruined by "unlicensed illegal laver (gim) farming." Some unscrupulous operators are illegally occupying the sea without permission and engaging in dense farming, blocking tidal flow and destroying the marine ecosystem.

Park Jiewon, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea

Amid this grim reality, Park Jiwon, lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Haenam, Wando, and Jindo in South Jeolla Province), has decided to take firm action.

On the 19th, Park personally met with the chief of the Wando Maritime Police Station and strongly called for a tough and thorough investigation into corruption and illegal activities related to raw laver farms.

◆Soaring number of illegal farms... Wrecking the ecosystem and leaving fishermen in despair

According to the Wando Maritime Police Station on the 20th, crackdowns on illegal aquaculture facilities are rising steeply. Only 3 cases were detected in 2023, but that number increased to 7 in 2024, and as of 2025 it has surged to as many as 45 cases. This is clear evidence that illegality is swallowing up the sea.

What makes the situation even worse is the structural distortion of the market. Even though there was oversupply of laver last year, prices nevertheless soared due to price manipulation and scheming by middlemen. Law-abiding fishermen who worked hard to cultivate laver are suffering a double blow, as they are not even receiving fair prices.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, on-site crackdowns are thoroughly missing the mark. Under the Aquaculture Industry Development Act, unlicensed aquaculture operators are subject to heavy criminal penalties of "up to three years in prison or fines of up to 30 million won." However, criticism is mounting that the Coast Guard, which holds powerful judicial police authority, shows a woeful lack of willingness to crack down.

Local governments engaged in crackdowns are also complaining of shortages of personnel and equipment. An official from Wando County said, "We currently have only one fisheries guidance vessel in operation," adding, "Even if it runs in a straight line, it takes four hours a day, and if we try to conduct crackdowns along the complex coastline, it takes a full day, so the practical difficulties are enormous."

An even bigger problem is "leniency" and "administrative convenience." Even when illegal facilities are detected, it is common for the authorities not to track down the owner to the end and simply close the case as "operator unknown." Fishermen unanimously say, "The Coast Guard and local governments are effectively abandoning enforcement, mired in outdated leniency that this is just 'work for fishermen to make a living.'"

◆ Park Jiwon: "Apply a zero-tolerance principle, including filing reimbursement claims"

Although some illegally installed buoys and nets that have been removed are piled up on the decks of patrol boats, illegal farms are still spread all over the sea as if mocking these efforts. Local governments are proceeding with partial demolition through administrative enforcement, but it is like pouring water into a bottomless jar.

In response, Park strongly rebuked the complacent attitude of the relevant agencies and demanded that illegal activities be eradicated at the root. He stressed that they must go beyond perfunctory crackdowns, track the forces behind these activities to the very end, and impose severe punishment.

One fisherman on site expressed support for Park's actions, saying, "Unless the Coast Guard and local governments pursue the perpetrators to the end, conduct arrests and investigations, and apply a zero-tolerance principle by claiming all demolition costs, which amount to tens of millions of won, through reimbursement claims, this problem will never be eradicated."

Local communities are watching closely to see whether Park's strong call for an investigation will become the signal flare that cuts out the "cancer cells of the sea" and restores order to the waters off Wando, and how the Coast Guard and local governments will respond going forward.