A North Korean patrol boat seized a Chinese fishing vessel near Cholsan county, North Pyongan province, last month and detained its six-member crew for two days. The incident is part of increased North Korean maritime patrols that have put Chinese fishing boats operating in shared waters on high alert.
A source in China told Daily NK last Wednesday that the North Korean maritime patrol seized the fishing boat and fined the Chinese crew 500,000 Chinese yuan for violating North Korean waters. The Chinese crew was released only after paying the fine.
Chinese fishing boats often operate in North Korean waters – evading raids when they can – because fishing resources in Chinese waters are depleted.
This has led North Korea’s maritime patrol to increase its foreign exchange earnings by imposing heavy fines on Chinese fishing boats that are seized after trespassing on North Korean workers.
The North Korean maritime patrol levies fines of at least 350,000 yuan per boat, payable into the patrol’s own Chinese bank accounts, the source said.
Recently, North Korean patrol boats have frequently fired toward – or even at – Chinese fishing boats.
“In the middle of last month, two fishing boats were operating in North Korean waters when a North Korean patrol vessel followed one of the boats,” the source said. “When gunfire erupted, the other boat fled, but the pursued boat never returned and disappeared.”
“The boat had a crew of two, and since they didn’t return after the gunfire, they were probably hit and killed,” the source said. “Such things have happened a lot recently.”
As Chinese boats have been seized by North Korean maritime patrols or suffered other misfortunes, Chinese authorities have restricted their fishermen from operating in North Korean waters. However, despite Beijing’s restrictions and the very real risks involved, Chinese fishing boats continue to ply North Korean waters with little hesitation.
Moreover, because some Chinese boats take on unlicensed crews to avoid paying the 7,000 yuan annual insurance premiums to the state, owners often do not report North Korean seizures of their boats when they occur, the source said.
“Even in the past, North Korean patrol boats often intercepted Chinese boats, but nowadays they do so much more frequently and with greater force,” the source said. “North Korean patrol boats seem to be cracking down more openly on Chinese boats as relations between China and North Korea deteriorate.”
The Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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