Seoul: South Korea and China have agreed to boost their joint efforts to crack down on illegal fishing, Seoul's oceans ministry said Tuesday. In a working-level meeting held last week, the countries agreed to step up joint efforts to monitor fishing activities and crack down on illegal practices in their shared waters.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Seoul has also called on Beijing to toughen its penalties for Chinese ships that engage in illegal fishing in waters near the Northern Limit Line, South Korea's de facto maritime border with North Korea, in the Yellow Sea. Under the agreement, China will begin accepting all Chinese vessels nabbed in South Korea for violating fishing regulations.
Currently, China only takes over Chinese ships that are caught in South Korean waters without a fishing license. Those with China-issued fishing licenses are set free after facing due penalties in South Korea for illegal fishing. Starting next month, all Chinese vessels that are caught in South Korea while engaged in illegal fishing will be handed over to China, possibly for further penalties, after facing punishment in South Korea.