ID :
35396
Sat, 12/13/2008 - 10:05
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/35396
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Chinese captain, crew sentenced to jail in Korea
INCHEON, Dec. 12 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean court handed down jail terms to the
captain and two crewmen of a Chinese fishing boat on Friday for assaulting Korean
Coast Guard officers who tried to inspect their boat that was illegally fishing
in Korean waters.
The captain was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison and fined 6 million
won (US$4,351). The Incheon District Court also sentenced two crewmen to a
year-and-a-half in prison, while two others who played a relatively minor role in
the assault were handed a year-and-a-half jail term, suspended for two years.
"The defendants not only pillaged the property of the Republic of Korea, but also
committed an unforgivable act against public authority," Judge Ham Sang-hun said.
The Chinese nationals were charged with interfering with Korean Coast Guard
officers' official duties and attacking two of them with blunt weapons in the
early morning of Oct. 7. They were operating inside Korea's exclusive economic
zone, 45 nautical miles off Socheong Island off South Korea's west coast, when
the officers approached.
The captain planned the illegal operation, ordered his crewmen to block the
officers from boarding and assaulted them himself, the court said, explaining the
harsher sentence against him.
Korea has intensified efforts to crack down on illegal Chinese fishing, but the
practice is still rampant and sometimes threatens the lives of inspecting
officers.
An inspector of the Mokpo Coast Guard, Park Kyong-jo, was assaulted and drowned
while trying to inspect a Chinese boat operating in Korean southern waters in
September.
hkim@yna.co.kr
captain and two crewmen of a Chinese fishing boat on Friday for assaulting Korean
Coast Guard officers who tried to inspect their boat that was illegally fishing
in Korean waters.
The captain was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison and fined 6 million
won (US$4,351). The Incheon District Court also sentenced two crewmen to a
year-and-a-half in prison, while two others who played a relatively minor role in
the assault were handed a year-and-a-half jail term, suspended for two years.
"The defendants not only pillaged the property of the Republic of Korea, but also
committed an unforgivable act against public authority," Judge Ham Sang-hun said.
The Chinese nationals were charged with interfering with Korean Coast Guard
officers' official duties and attacking two of them with blunt weapons in the
early morning of Oct. 7. They were operating inside Korea's exclusive economic
zone, 45 nautical miles off Socheong Island off South Korea's west coast, when
the officers approached.
The captain planned the illegal operation, ordered his crewmen to block the
officers from boarding and assaulted them himself, the court said, explaining the
harsher sentence against him.
Korea has intensified efforts to crack down on illegal Chinese fishing, but the
practice is still rampant and sometimes threatens the lives of inspecting
officers.
An inspector of the Mokpo Coast Guard, Park Kyong-jo, was assaulted and drowned
while trying to inspect a Chinese boat operating in Korean southern waters in
September.
hkim@yna.co.kr