Chinese Fisherman Dies After South Korean Coast Guard Raid - SFGate
Chinese Fisherman Dies After South Korean Coast Guard Raid
Updated 11:58 a.m., Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) -- A Chinese fisherman died from injuries sustained in a South Korean coast guard raid after his vessel entered South Korean waters in the Yellow Sea, the Korea Coast Guard said in a faxed statement.
South Koreas foreign ministry notified the Chinese embassy in Seoul about the death and will investigate the incident, the ministry said in a text message to reporters. The ministry expressed regret over the unfortunate incident and sent its condolences to the dead fishermans family, it said.
Chinese fishing crews have clashed repeatedly in recent years with the coast guards and commercial vessels of nearby countries, including South Korea, Vietnam and Japan. Yesterdays killing comes amid heightened tensions with Japan over islands claimed by both sides in an area of the East China Sea rich in fish, oil and gas.
The raid on two vessels occurred at 3:45 p.m. yesterday in southwestern waters, according to the coast guard statement.
Yonhap News reported that a coast guard officer shot and killed the man during a raid on 30 Chinese boats fishing illegally in the area. A separate Korean-language Yonhap report said the fisherman was killed when he was hit by a rubber bullet.