Rep. Yoon Jae-gap Urges Urgent Fundamental Measures Against Illegal Fishing by Chinese Vessels

Yoon Jae-gap, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Haenam, Wando, and Jindo, urged the establishment of fundamental measures against illegal fishing by Chinese vessels during the confirmation hearing of Park Jun-young, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, on the 4th. (Photo by Yoon Jae-gap's office)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Representative Yoon Jae-gap (The Democratic Party, Haenam·Wando·Jindo) announced on the 6th that he urged fundamental measures against illegal fishing by Chinese fishing vessels at the confirmation hearing of Park Jun-young, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, on the 4th.

Illegal fishing by Chinese vessels is not only depleting coastal fishery resources but also severely damaging our fishery sovereignty, and its economic value is estimated to reach an average of 1.3 trillion won annually. However, there are no fundamental measures in place to address this issue.

In fact, the number of Chinese fishing vessels appearing in our West Sea increased by 55% in 2020 compared to 2018, especially surging in the waters north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea. This is directly linked to the decrease in domestic snow crab catches, making urgent countermeasures necessary.

However, during the same period, the number of illegal Chinese fishing vessels seized by fishery patrol ships and the coast guard has been decreasing every year, indicating that proper enforcement is not being carried out.

Representative Yoon Jae-gap said, “The illegal fishing activities of Chinese vessels are becoming increasingly aggressive and organized,” and added, “Our government's response remains passive, limited to raising the deposit for seized vessels, maintaining aging patrol ships, and diplomatic joint responses with China.”

He strongly demanded, “Since the intrusion of Chinese fishing vessels into our territorial waters is an act of violating our sovereignty, if candidate Park Jun-young assumes office as minister, he should respond with a zero-tolerance policy within the legal scope.”

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