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S. Korea says Chinese skipper kills coastguard
December 12, 2011, Monday
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Online Edition
Online Edition
A Chinese fishing boat skipper stabbed a South Korean coastguard officer to death and wounded another officer today as they tried to arrest him for illegal fishing, officials said.
It was the second time in less than four years that a South Korean coastguard officer had been killed, amid increasingly violent clashes in the rich fishing grounds of the Yellow Sea which separates the two countries.
South Korea summoned Chinese ambassador Zhang Xinsen to lodge a strong protest, the foreign ministry said.
"This should have not happened. This is extremely tragic," a presidential spokesman told reporters.
The 41-year-old victim surnamed Lee was rushed by helicopter to hospital in the city of Incheon west of Seoul but died of organ failure.
The coastguard said it launched an operation early today to seize two Chinese fishing boats 85 kilometers off Socheong island, and managed to take control of a 66-tonne boat.
But the other boat suddenly rammed the seized vessel, prompting nine Chinese fishermen on board the captured boat to start attacking officers.
The 42-year-old captain broke a window on his vessel and stabbed the officers with a shard of glass, according to initial reports.
Lee suffered fatal injuries while the other victim, a 33-year-old, was stabbed in the stomach and was undergoing hospital treatment.
The coastguard later said the captain has been arrested for murder and violating the South's exclusive economic zone, and that it was unclear whether he used a shard of glass or another weapon.
"All crew will be detained for investigation and another boat that was at the scene has been seized so that its crew will be questioned about whether they were involved in the crime," said Ahn Sung-Shik, an investigator with the Incheon coastguard.
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said China is ready to work closely with South Korea and handle the case "properly."
"China has taken measures to enhance the education of Chinese fishermen and management of outbound fishing boats to prohibit cross-border fishing and irregularities," he said.
He also urged South Korea to "fully protect Chinese legitimate rights and interests of Chinese fishermen and provide them with due humanitarian treatment".
It was the second time in less than four years that a South Korean coastguard officer had been killed, amid increasingly violent clashes in the rich fishing grounds of the Yellow Sea which separates the two countries.
South Korea summoned Chinese ambassador Zhang Xinsen to lodge a strong protest, the foreign ministry said.
"This should have not happened. This is extremely tragic," a presidential spokesman told reporters.
The 41-year-old victim surnamed Lee was rushed by helicopter to hospital in the city of Incheon west of Seoul but died of organ failure.
The coastguard said it launched an operation early today to seize two Chinese fishing boats 85 kilometers off Socheong island, and managed to take control of a 66-tonne boat.
But the other boat suddenly rammed the seized vessel, prompting nine Chinese fishermen on board the captured boat to start attacking officers.
The 42-year-old captain broke a window on his vessel and stabbed the officers with a shard of glass, according to initial reports.
Lee suffered fatal injuries while the other victim, a 33-year-old, was stabbed in the stomach and was undergoing hospital treatment.
The coastguard later said the captain has been arrested for murder and violating the South's exclusive economic zone, and that it was unclear whether he used a shard of glass or another weapon.
"All crew will be detained for investigation and another boat that was at the scene has been seized so that its crew will be questioned about whether they were involved in the crime," said Ahn Sung-Shik, an investigator with the Incheon coastguard.
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said China is ready to work closely with South Korea and handle the case "properly."
"China has taken measures to enhance the education of Chinese fishermen and management of outbound fishing boats to prohibit cross-border fishing and irregularities," he said.
He also urged South Korea to "fully protect Chinese legitimate rights and interests of Chinese fishermen and provide them with due humanitarian treatment".
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