Chinese fishing boat allegedly fired upon by N. Korean coast guard

INCHEON, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- A Chinese fishing boat was allegedly shelled last week by the North Korean coast guard, officials said Monday.

The vessel came under fire at around 9:40 a.m. Saturday, according to officials
at the South Korean Ministry of Defense. Its 44-year old skipper, whom
authorities identified by his last name Kung, was seriously injured.
Kung is now hospitalized at Inha University in Incheon, west of Seoul, and is
undergoing medical treatment, they said.
"It has not been confirmed whether the boat was attacked in South Korean
territorial waters or North Korean waters," said a defense ministry official. He
noted that the South Korean coast guard uses yellow, 20-millimeter shells, and
said the ones found on the Chinese boat did not match that description.
"North Korean coast guards often fire at Chinese boats trespassing in North
Korean waters and illegally fishing," the official said.
Officers say increasing numbers of Chinese fishing boats are infiltrating Korean
waters as harvests in Chinese waters are plummeting due to pollution and
over-fishing.
Since South Korea's fisheries treaty with China took effect in 2001, about 3,000
Chinese boats have been captured for fishing illegally in Korean waters.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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