S. Korea tightens crackdown on illegal foreign fishing near NLL, targets anchoring and resupply

South Korea will tighten enforcement against foreign fishing vessels operating illegally near the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea, with new rules that will allow authorities to penalize not only fishing itself but also anchoring at sea and receiving supplies in preparation for fishing. Starting in September, illegally set fishing gear south of the NLL will be forcibly removed, and artificial structures designed to obstruct trawling will be installed in waters where illegal fishing is most frequent.

The government announced a pan-government comprehensive plan Thursday to address illegal fishing by foreign vessels near the West Sea NLL. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Unification, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and Korea Coast Guard all participated in drafting the measures.

Fishing by foreign vessels is prohibited in the NLL zone, but some continue to operate illegally by exploiting the heavy concentration of military forces on both sides of the inter-Korean divide, which limits South Korean enforcement units' ability to approach the area.

On Aug. 11, the government deployed a total of 31 enforcement vessels from the Korea Coast Guard, the Navy, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and local governments to conduct a joint inter-agency crackdown targeting foreign vessels that had been lingering for extended periods near Yeonpyeongdo. Eight Chinese fishing vessels were seized and 24 were expelled.

The government will expand enforcement to all waters south of the NLL starting in September, when the autumn blue crab fishing season begins. It will also revise relevant regulations to allow penalties not only for actual fishing activity but also for anchoring at sea or receiving supplies in preparation for fishing.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will amend related laws and regulations — including the enforcement decree of the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone Act — to enable the Korea Coast Guard to crack down on activities ancillary to fishing, such as mooring, anchoring, and receiving vessel supplies within territorial waters.

Procedures for information sharing between the military and the coast guard will also be streamlined. The Ministry of National Defense will reduce the steps required for joint military-coast guard situation assessments and the provision of surveillance footage concerning illegal foreign vessels anchored or moored near the NLL, and will strengthen on-site enforcement support including monitoring and alert operations.

Illegally placed underwater fishing gear will also be directly cleared. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will deploy one decommissioned fishing vessel and two private removal vessels from September to clear illegal gear from waters south of the NLL, and plans to secure additional decommissioned vessels to establish a permanent removal system.

Facilities that make illegal fishing more difficult will also be expanded. Artificial structures that obstruct trawling will be additionally installed in waters where illegal foreign vessels most frequently appear.

Equipment and personnel for the West Sea Five Islands Special Security Unit, which handles on-site enforcement, will also be bolstered. The Korea Coast Guard will introduce two new special patrol boats. A new Baengnyeong rapid-response unit will be established, joining the existing units at Yeonpyeong and Daecheongdo.

Cooperation with China will also be strengthened. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will urge China to faithfully implement agreements reached through the Korea-China Joint Fisheries Committee — under which South Korea notifies the Chinese coast guard of illegal fishing activity and China is required to impose strict penalties and report back on the results. Enforcement against increasingly sophisticated illegal fishing practices, including vessel information falsification and illegal vessel modifications, will also be stepped up.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will press the Chinese government through various levels of consultations to educate its fishermen and strengthen its own crackdowns on illegal fishing. It also plans to raise awareness within China of South Korean domestic law amendments and enforcement cases through overseas diplomatic missions.

The Ministry of Unification will continue to pursue effective cooperation measures — including the establishment of a peace zone — to achieve lasting peace and a stable fishing order in the West Sea over the long term.

The government plans to intensify joint inter-agency enforcement across all waters south of the NLL from September, when the autumn blue crab season opens, in line with the new measures.

Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Hwang Jong-woo said the government would "respond firmly to illegal fishing by foreign vessels near the West Sea NLL based on close cooperation among related ministries, and do its utmost to protect the country's fishery resources and secure the fishing rights of its fishermen."