China Moves to Punish Its ‘Ghost Vessel’ Involved in Illegal Fishing in the Yellow Sea, Requests Evidence from South Korea

[Financial News] China requested evidence from the South Korean government last month, saying it would punish its ‘ghost vessel’ seized by the KCG while illegally fishing in the Yellow Sea.
According to the South Korean Embassy in China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on the 7th, Ambassador to China Ro Jae-hun met with correspondents from South Korean media outlets at the embassy that day. He said, "The CCG recently located the owner of a ‘three-no vessel’ that was seized by the KCG in May and was undergoing judicial proceedings." He added, "On the 25th of last month, the Chinese side requested through our embassy that South Korea provide relevant evidence so it could impose severe punishment on the vessel owner."
The term ‘three-no vessel’ refers to a fishing boat without a vessel name or number, a fishing vessel certificate, or a port of registry. Because these ghost vessels have no registration information, it is difficult to identify their owners even when illegal activities are detected.
Illegal fishing by Chinese vessels in the Yellow Sea is one of the long-standing issues between South Korea and China.
After taking office last year, President Lee Jae-myung ordered tough measures against illegal Chinese fishing vessels several times. At a South Korea-China summit, he also asked China to improve the situation by strengthening enforcement.
As illegal fishing became a diplomatic burden, China amended its fisheries law to raise fines for illegal fishing by Chinese vessels. For ‘three-no vessels,’ the revised law allows the confiscation of catches and illicit proceeds, as well as fines of up to twice the vessel’s value.
Ambassador Ro said, "The Chinese government continues to work to eradicate ‘three-no vessels.’ Our embassy has provided the Chinese side with evidence related to the vessel, including location data verified by the KCG’s radar and photographs taken during the enforcement operation, through close communication with the KCG and other relevant agencies.
He explained, "The KCG and the CCG have also agreed to discuss establishing a cooperation system to enable faster and smoother evidence sharing in the future."

[email protected] International Affairs Specialist Lee Seok-woo Reporter