Korea, China to Strengthen Crackdown on Illegal Fishing

Korea and China have agreed to cooperate on cracking down on illegal fishing operations by Chinese fishermen in Korean waters, a growing sore point between the two countries.

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries here said officials from the two sides held a bilateral meeting in Qingdao, China, last week and discussed harsher punishments for fishing without a license, trespassing in foreign waters and the use of physical force in such incidents.

Preventive measures will include using global positioning systems to track the routes of vessels fishing within Korea's exclusive economic zone, and establishing procedures to collect monetary collateral if vessels are caught violating the rules.

Last December, a Korean coast guard officer was killed by a Chinese fisherman on a trawler operating illegally in Korean waters in the West Sea.