The Chinese vessels – nearly 800 in 2019 – appear to be in violation of UN sanctions that forbid foreign fishing in North Korean waters. Chinese squid ship located in the port of Ulleung island in South Korean waters. In 2017, the Japanese Coast Guard also reported spotting more than 2,000 North Korean fishing boats fishing illegally in their waters. Chinese fishing boats are famously aggressive, often armed and known for ramming competitors or foreign patrol vessels. Tensions between Seoul and Beijing increased in 2016 after a Chinese vessel, illegally fishing in South Korean waters, sank a South Korean Coast Guard cutter.

Source: The Irish Times July 22, 2020 19:01 UTC