Assemblyman Park Jiwon’s call for a rigorous investigation prompts all-out crackdown by Wando Coast Guard
Mass deployment of criminal investigation boats...rooting out violations by ending outdated "leniency"
As the coastal waters off Wando in South Jeolla Province suffer from a wave of "unlicensed illegal seaweed farming," the Coast Guard has launched a large-scale zero-tolerance crackdown in step with political calls for a thorough investigation.
According to the Wando Coast Guard and others on the 20th, enforcement cases against illegal aquaculture facilities are rising sharply. The number of violations detected, which stood at only 3 cases in 2023, increased to 7 cases in 2024, and then surged to as many as 45 cases in 2025.
Kim Taehwan, chief of the Wando Coast Guard, is inspecting a local gim farm with staff. Provided by Wando Coast Guard.
As this newspaper reported on the 20th, Park Jiwon, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Haenam, Wando, and Jindo in South Jeolla Province, met directly with the chief of the Wando Coast Guard on the 19th. He called for a strong and rigorous investigation into corruption and illegal activities related to seaweed farms and harshly criticized the complacent response of the relevant authorities.
◆ Wando Coast Guard: "They are even pocketing rental income from illegal facilities"...vows zero-tolerance enforcement
Facing fierce criticism from fishermen and Assemblyman Park, the Wando Coast Guard announced on the 25th that it will conduct an intensive crackdown through April 30 on those who install unauthorized aquaculture facilities to take advantage of the recent rise in seaweed prices and reap unfair profits.
In an earlier special crackdown on illegal marine facilities organized by the West Sea Regional Coast Guard from November 17, 2025, to January 31, 2026, for about 11 weeks, 32 people were caught for violations such as installing unlicensed seaweed aquaculture facilities.
However, even after the special crackdown ended, the Wando Coast Guard obtained information that some people were still installing facilities without permits and then leasing out those rights to others and collecting payments in the form of rent. The Coast Guard has begun to verify the facts.
In this operation, the Coast Guard plans to focus on unlicensed aquaculture, illegal leasing of aquaculture rights, installation of illegal marine facilities in public waters, and operation of aquaculture management vessels without proper designation.
To this end, the Wando Coast Guard will operate a dedicated team centered on its investigations division, and will deploy a large number of criminal investigation boats and patrol vessels to conduct joint crackdowns at sea and on land. If any violations are confirmed, it plans to take strict action in accordance with the relevant laws.
On the ground, there have long been complaints that enforcement by the Coast Guard and local governments is woefully insufficient and that, even when violations are detected, they are handled as "unknown operators," reflecting outdated "leniency" and "administrative convenience," which have been cited as serious problems.
A Wando Coast Guard official stressed, "We will thoroughly investigate illegal acts in which unlicensed facilities are installed in the sea, which is a national asset, and rental income is even collected," adding, "We will proactively block sophisticated illegal activities that exploit legal blind spots and protect the livelihoods of law-abiding fishermen."
Local attention is now focused on whether Assemblyman Park's strong call for an investigation and the Coast Guard's announcement of an all-out crackdown will serve as a true starting gun for cutting out these "cancer cells of the sea" and restoring order to the waters off Wando.
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