South Korea has sentenced a Chinese fisherman to 30 years in prison for killing a South Korean coast guard officer in December.

A South Korean court issued the ruling Thursday, drawing an immediate protest from the Chinese foreign ministry.

The killing took place after the coast guard officer boarded the fisherman's boat in the Yellow Sea, where South Korea says Chinese nationals were fishing illegally in South Korean waters.

The Chinese man stabbed the officer to death and wounded a second officer.

It was the second time in four years that a South Korean coast guard member died at the hands of a Chinese fisherman.

The leaders of China and South Korea met in January to discuss a solution. China's foreign ministry has urged South Korea to respect the “legitimate rights and interests of Chinese fishermen.”

More than 100 South Korean military veterans and activists protested in front of the Chinese embassy in Seoul in December to denounce Beijing for the killing.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak promised “strong countermeasures” to protect coast guard officers who are cracking down on increasingly bold incursions by Chinese fishermen.

South Korea's coast guard says incursions by Chinese boats have been increasing.