Seoul: China has installed three more large-scale buoys near the overlapping waters with South Korea, bringing the total number of Chinese floating devices in the area to 13. South Korean officials reported the installation on Saturday, emphasizing the ongoing maritime tensions between the two nations.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's Navy detected the three new buoys in international waters near the provisional maritime zone between the two countries in May 2023. These devices have been placed within China's exclusive economic zone. Since 2018, China has installed a total of 10 observation buoys in the Yellow Sea, each measuring 3 meters in width and 6 meters in height.
One of the more recently installed buoys is positioned within the provisional maritime zone, an area where the exclusive economic zones of South Korea and China overlap. This zone is intended for joint management of marine resources and restricts activities beyond navigation and fishing. However, tensions have escalated as China continues to establish installations within this zone, including a fixed steel structure that was set up in 2022.
A defense ministry official from South Korea stated, "(We) are closely monitoring activities within the provisional maritime zone, including China's unauthorized installation of structures, and will closely cooperate with relevant agencies to protect our maritime sovereignty."