Chinese authorities tracked down the owner of their country's "ghost ship" that was seized by the Korea Coast Guard in the Yellow Sea in May for illegal fishing and asked the Korean government to provide evidence needed for punishment.
Ambassador to China Noh Jae-heon said on the 7th (local time) at the embassy in Beijing that "the China Coast Guard recently found the owner of a 'three-no (無) vessel' that was seized by the Korea Coast Guard in May and is undergoing judicial procedures."
He added, "On the 25th of last month, the Chinese side asked through our embassy to provide relevant evidence to severely punish the owner."
A "three-no vessel" refers to a fishing boat with no vessel name or number, no fishing-related certificates, and no port of registry. Because there is no registration information, it is called a "ghost ship," as it is difficult to trace the owner behind it even if illegal fishing is detected.
The embassy in China, in consultation with the Korea Coast Guard, delivered to the Chinese side the vessel's location confirmed by radar and on-site enforcement photos. The Korean and Chinese coast guards also agreed to discuss building a separate cooperation framework to exchange evidence more quickly and smoothly going forward.
Ambassador Noh said, "The Chinese government is also continuing efforts to eradicate three-no vessels."
Illegal fishing by Chinese boats in the Yellow Sea is a long-standing issue between Korea and China. President Lee Jae-myung has repeatedly called for a strong response to illegally fishing Chinese boats since taking office, and at a Korea-China summit also asked the Chinese side to strengthen enforcement.
As illegal fishing became a burden on bilateral relations, China revised its fisheries law to raise the level of punishment. For three-no vessels, it allowed the confiscation of catches and illegal revenue, and the imposition of fines up to twice the value of the vessel.
Meanwhile, the embassy in China said it conveyed to the Chinese side its view that the central government finds it difficult to be involved in deciding the names of private cultural and artistic events, in connection with the controversy over the name "Taiwan Pavilion" that arose at the recent Gwangju Biennale.
The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA), which participated in this Gwangju Biennale, protested that the name "Taiwan Pavilion," which had been agreed upon initially, was changed to the institution's name, NTMoFA. After the Biennale Foundation approved the use of the name "Taiwan Pavilion," the Chinese government lodged a protest, and artists in the China Pavilion halted installations and withdrew from the exhibition.