Fishing Clash Korea-China Fishing Near Resolution
SEOUL, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- South Korea is swiftly settling a diplomatic spat with China over the sinking of a fishing boat, a Foreign Ministry official said Friday.
The Chinese boat sank in the Yellow Sea Saturday after it rammed a South Korean Coast Guard vessel to stop the boarding of another Chinese boat suspected of illegal fishing, Yonhap reported.
China blamed Seoul for the incident, in which one Chinese fisherman was killed and another lost. It demanded punishment for the responsible parties and compensation.
Three Chinese fishermen were booked on charges of obstructing the duty of civil servants after admitting their boat intentionally collided with the patrol ship, South Korea said. Four Coast Guard officers were wounded when the Chinese resisted the boarding.
South Korea will close its investigation and "discuss with the Chinese side measures to handle the dead man's body and send back the other fishermen who were rescued," the ministry official told Yonhap.
The Coast Guard dropped charges against the Chinese, citing their "lack of direct involvement in the incident" and "active cooperation in the investigation." If prosecutors agree, they could be handed over Saturday.
0 comments:
Post a Comment