Korea and China will launch a joint patrol in the Yellow Sea in October. To improve understanding of each other's enforcement methods, the two sides agreed to board each other's enforcement vessels together.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the China Coast Guard said on the 1st that they held the "2026 Korea-China fisheries guidance and enforcement working-level meeting" in Dalian, China, from on the 23rd to the 25th, and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on guidance and enforcement to eradicate illegal fishing in the waters covered by the Korea-China fisheries agreement.
According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), at this meeting the Korean side expressed serious concern about the increasingly sophisticated and intelligent illegal fishing practices of Chinese fishing vessels. It then urged the Chinese authorities to strengthen self-enforcement in ports and harbors and to bolster monitoring of vessels suspected of illegal fishing.
In response, the Chinese side promised to strengthen self-enforcement in Chinese ports and harbors and to provide a prompt reply on the results of actions taken, based on evidence information provided by Korea.
The Korean side also proposed amending the regulations to allow punishment within its jurisdiction through the transfer of relevant documents alone, in order to handle the handover of illegally operating vessels efficiently. It also called for regulations to effectively crack down on secret fish holds remodeled to conceal catches, AIS spoofing, and illegal fishing.
The two sides also agreed to conduct a joint patrol for about 10 days in early October, extending up to 20 nautical miles from the eastern and western boundary lines of the Korea-China provisional measures zone, with Korea's fisheries guidance vessel and the Korea Coast Guard on the Korean side and their Chinese counterparts. In particular, during the joint patrol, enforcement officials from both countries will board each other's enforcement vessels to enhance mutual understanding of each other's guidance and enforcement methods.
Kim In-kyoung, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries director-general for fisheries resources policy, said, "The agreement to resume joint patrols is an expression of the two countries' will to work together to maintain order in fishing operations within the agreement waters," and added, "We will continue cooperation with the Chinese government to eradicate illegal fishing and establish order in fishing operations."