South Korea, China resume joint Yellow Sea patrols for first time in 4 years

South Korea and China have resumed joint patrols in the Yellow Sea to combat illegal fishing for the first time in four years. Enforcement vessels from the two countries spent eight days checking the fishing activities of 123 Chinese boats and boarded three of them for on-site inspections. The resumption restores field-level cooperation that had been suspended over a disagreement on patrol routes.

South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced Tuesday that it conducted joint patrols with China's Coast Guard in the South Korea-China provisional measures zone from Oct. 9 to Oct. 16.

The joint patrols are a cooperative program in which enforcement vessels from the two countries monitor fishing activity at sea and respond to illegal fishing together. They were conducted annually from 2014 to 2022 but were suspended from 2023 due to disagreements over patrol routes.

The two sides subsequently agreed to resume the patrols through the 25th South Korea-China Fisheries Joint Committee and a working-level enforcement meeting held this year.

This round of patrols involved the Mugunghwa 42, operated by the ministry's West Sea Fisheries Management Service, and vessel 6501 of the China Coast Guard's North Sea Branch. The two enforcement ships traveled together through major fishing areas within the provisional measures zone, checking whether Chinese fishing vessels held valid fishing licenses and whether they were using illegal fishing gear.

The inspection covered a total of 123 vessels, including 49 Chinese trawlers and 26 gillnet boats. Enforcement officials from both countries boarded three of those vessels for direct inspections.

The joint patrol's significance lies in the two sides working together in the field to encourage compliance with fishing rules and share enforcement procedures. Officials from both countries observed each other's inspection methods and built practical experience cooperating against illegal fishing.

The ministry said it plans to strengthen cooperation with the Chinese government and work to establish order in Yellow Sea fishing operations, building on the resumption of the patrols.

"We will strengthen cooperation with the Chinese government so that the resumed joint patrols lead to greater compliance with fishing rules and prevention of illegal fishing, and we will respond strictly to illegal fishing to establish order in Yellow Sea operations," said Kim In-kyung, director general for fisheries resources policy at the ministry.