The fatal skirmish began when a South Korean coastguard vessel stopped a 66-ton Chinese trawler just 50 miles off Socheong island, one of a small chain of outcrops that lies in the waters between North and South Korea.
After boarding the Chinese ship early Monday morning, two South Korean coastguards struggled to arrest its captain, who has not been named. In the scuffle, the man broke a window and used a shard of glass to stab the coastguards.
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Chinese fishermen have been forced to go further afield to land their catches, having depleted local waters. In addition, the formerly rich region of the Bohai Bay, off the Chinese coast to the north of the Yellow Sea, has become heavily polluted because of offshore drilling for oil and gas.
Policemen take the Chinese captain involved in a stabbing incident to a car to transport him from a hospital to a police station in Incheon | Photo: REUTERS
Meanwhile, South Korea's fisheries of mackerel, blue crab, yellow croaker and anchovy have become an increasingly important source of income for Koreans, with exports to China booming.
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As the competition between Korean and interloping Chinese fishermen has intensified, the South Korean coastguard has been put under pressure to act. So far this year, 470 Chinese ships have been seized for illegal fishing, a near 30 per cent rise.
Meanwhile, the desperation of the Chinese fishermen has resulted in episodes of extreme aggression. Since 2008, three other people, two Chinese and one Korean have died in clashes between the two sides.
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There has also been widespread speculation, but no proof, that the Chinese navy might be supporting the fishermen.
Last month, a Korean SWAT team was required to pacify nine Chinese fishing boats that had lashed themselves together, their fishermen armed with bamboo spears and iron crowbars. Twelve Korean patrol ships, four helicopters and 20 SWAT team members, armed with K5 handguns, shields and grenade launchers, intercepted the Chinese fleet.
"We've decided to strengthen our attitude against illegal fishing as it is threatening many Koreans," said the captain who led the operation. "If illegal fishermen keep trespassing on our territory and threatening Koreans' safety, they will be paid back for their actions."
In the wake of Monday's fatal incident, the Chinese ambassador was summoned again to the South Korean Foreign ministry and "strongly asked that the Chinese government strictly clamps down on illegal fishing," according to the South Korean media.
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This story was first published on The Telegraph.
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