Chinese Fisherman Kills South Korea Coast Guard Officer

Posted December 12th, 2011 at 6:05 am (UTC-5)
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South Korean officials say a Chinese fishing boat captain killed a coast guard officer and wounded a second during an operation to stop a vessel illegally fishing off the Korean Peninsula.

The chief investigator for the coast guard station at Incheon said the Chinese vessel was halted Monday morning in the Yellow Sea for fishing illegally in South Korea's exclusive economic zone, but outside its territorial waters.

The officials said the captain of the boat used an undetermined weapon to stab two of the four coast guard officers who had boarded his vessel. Authorities say a 41-year-old corporal died at a hospital in Incheon.

The Chinese vessel has been seized and its crew of nine is now in custody.

China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing will cooperate with Seoul in investigating the incident.

This is the first such fatal encounter between South Korean authorities and a Chinese crew at sea since 2008, when Chinese fishermen killed a coast guard officer and injured six others.

South Korea's coast guard says incursions by Chinese boats have been growing. Seoul says it has cited 470 Chinese ships this year for illegal fishing, compared to 370 last year.