Blue crab fishing season has arrived for the fishermen in
both North and South Korea, but South Korean fishermen have frequently
witnessed illegal Chinese fishing boats poaching their supply. The situation
has become a heated point of contention in recent times, highlighted by an
incident in which South Korean fishermen from the islands of Baengnyeong and
Yeonpyeong decided to take matters into their own hands by seizing two Chinese
boats and handing them over to the coast guard. However, the actions of these
illegal Chinese trawlers differ widely in approach when it comes to poaching in
North and South Korean waters.
North Korean waters are said to have a much richer abundance
of fish due to the North’s relatively ill-equipped boats, but despite this,
Chinese boats generally avoid fishing in these areas out of fear of the
country’s violent coastal patrol guards. When North Korean patrol boats
discover an illegal Chinese vessel in their waters, the boats are chased down
and the entire vessel and its catch are confiscated in the name of penalizing
their illegal entry.
This looting is typically carried out by the North’s navy patrols
and coast guard units 56 and 57, which are under the direct control of 3rd
Corps. Those onboard the illegal fishing vessels are typically threatened with
automatic rifles before the boat is seized, and the fishermen are beaten prior
to interrogation. The seamen are then locked up in the ship’s cabin while the
patrol guards ransack the entire boat. In some cases, Chinese boats enter the
waters as part of an official fishing agreement, but it is said that these
arrangements are often disregarded by the North.
The boats are stripped of everything from food, cooking oil,
and diesel to cigarette lighters and all personal goods, which are then handed
over to central command once the vessel is brought into custody. Cadre members
then demand the captain call up their company headquarters in China to lay out
the conditions necessary for the vessel and seamen to be returned.
Cash (U.S. dollars, yuan) is a basic requirement, to which
further demands of some dozens or hundreds of tons of diesel, cooking oil, and
food are added. If the fishing company does not comply, the military will not
hesitate to threaten the safety of the crew members.
Chinese fishing companies under most circumstances succumb
to these demands, facing mounting pressure and complaints from the seamen’s
families back home. This is why from North Korea’s point of view, the more
illegal fishing vessels it has in its territorial waters, the more it has to
gain from looting.
Because of these lucrative conditions, the 3rd corps
commanding officers are said to enjoy wealth that is a source of envy even from
generals overseeing border troops and the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces.
One naval unit may only have a dozen ageing patrol boats, but the sheer profit
that each vessel brings in can be staggering.
In other words, blue crab season for the 3rd corps coast
guard is the busiest time of the year as they search for Chinese vessels. Most
Chinese fishermen speed off as soon as they catch sight of North Korean patrol
forces, referring to them as “pirates,” but a small number of captains are bold
enough to approach these guards and offer a significant amount in bribes in
return for the right to fish for a few days.
Recently, some Chinese boats have even started offering
their services as informants, providing details of the locations of other
illegal vessels in exchange for permission to fish, making the jobs of the
North Korean patrols much easier.
When it comes to South Korean waters, however, Chinese
fishing vessels have historically been given much greater leniency. For the
most part, they do not fear South Korean coast guards and on occasion have been
known to resort to violence when coast guard ships approach their vessels. The
fishermen are cognizant of the fact that South Korea, unlike the North,
respects international conventions on human rights, the rule of law, and
diplomatic relations.
For this reason, Chinese boats conducting illegal fishing
are more abundant in the South than in the North. Seoul will need to remain
steadfast in its negotiations with Beijing over the matter, but it is likely
that stronger measures will be required to protect the livelihoods of South
Korean fishermen.
