Fishermen of Seohae 5 Islands Urge Amendment of 'Fishing Vessel Safety Operation Act'... "Punishment for Violating Fishing Restrictions Is an Unjust Law"

Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Announces Last Month's Enforcement Decree Draft
Peace Movement Headquarters: "Fishermen's Lives Militarily Controlled"
Urges Government to Ease Military Control and Develop Infrastructure

Fishing boats of Seohae 5 Islands
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] As the 'Fishing Vessel Safety Operation Act,' which includes provisions for criminal punishment of fishermen who violate fishing restrictions in the inter-Korean border waters, is set to be implemented in August, fishermen from the five West Sea islands are calling for its revision, labeling it a "malicious law that oppresses residents' lives through military control."

According to the West Sea 5 Islands Peace Movement Headquarters on the 8th, the Fishing Vessel Safety Operation Act, proposed during the Park Geun-hye administration in 2016, was enacted last August to establish fishing order by setting necessary matters for the safe operation of fishing vessels and to protect the lives, bodies, and property of the people. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced the legislative notice for the enforcement decree and enforcement rules last month.

However, the law has become problematic as it includes penalty provisions for fishing vessels that violate fishing restriction measures in border waters, including the West Sea 5 Islands.

Currently, fishermen receive fines or administrative sanctions if they cross the fishing limit line or fishing restraint line, or disobey military control and other various restriction measures. But once this law is enforced, the same actions will be punishable by imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won.

For this reason, fishermen from the West Sea 5 Islands have demanded the removal of the criminal punishment provisions stipulated in this law and requested that fishermen's opinions be reflected when drafting the enforcement decree. They also urged the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to unify fishing control under the Coast Guard, allow 24-hour night fishing and expansion of fishing grounds, and hold meetings of the West Sea 5 Islands public-private consultative body.

The West Sea 5 Islands Peace Movement Headquarters stated, "The Fishing Vessel Safety Operation Act was unilaterally enacted last year without gathering opinions from fishermen of the West Sea 5 Islands, and the fishermen belatedly appealed the unfairness of the law in February this year, demanding five items," adding, "However, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries did not reflect any of the fishermen's demands when announcing the legislative notice for the enforcement decree and enforcement rules last month."

The organization pointed out, "Residents of the West Sea 5 Islands have suffered from military control and fishing restrictions for over 50 years under the 'Northwest Islands Vessel Operation Management Regulations,' which exist only as an order," and added, "They raised their voices repeatedly to abolish this regulation, but it has returned as a stronger control measure called the Fishing Vessel Safety Operation Act." They defined this law as a malicious law that militarily controls the lives of West Sea 5 Islands residents and demanded its revision.

They also raised their voices that government policies on the inter-Korean joint fishing zone and the West Sea 5 Islands, the center of the West Sea Peace Zone, should be strengthened.

The West Sea 5 Islands Peace Movement Headquarters said, "To prepare for the upcoming West Sea peace and inter-Korean exchanges, military control should be eased and the role of the Coast Guard should be enhanced, but the government is taking the opposite approach," adding, "Earlier this year, only Ganghwado and the West Sea 5 Islands were excluded from the lifting of military facility protection zones in border areas, and the construction of a Coast Guard pier, essential for the new port construction plan on Yeonpyeongdo Island, was excluded due to budget shortages."

They continued, "On the second anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration, President Moon Jae-in said, 'Even amid realistic constraints, we must find what we can do and continuously practice even small things,'" and urged, "We ask President Moon and the government to show actions by finding and implementing things they can do but are not doing, such as easing military control of the West Sea 5 Islands for West Sea peace, infrastructure development, and improvement of laws and systems."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.