A South Korean coast guardsman shot and killed the captain of a Chinese fishing ship of Friday, after an altercation over the inspection of the man’s vessel.
A dozen officers with South Korea’s coast guard boarded the Chinese vessel in South Korean territories — specifically, in that country’s western exclusive economic zone that includes 200 nautical miles of offshore waters, The Associated Press reported. The coast guard was checking for evidence of illegal fishing activity.
Four other Chinese fishing ships then pulled nearby and ordered their crew to board the ship that was being inspected, AP said. That’s when the Chinese captain started to violently resist the guardsman.
The other Chinese fishermen then pulled out knives and beer bottles and started choking a South Korean officer, the coast guard said, AP reported. Five South Korean officers were injured. One of the South Korean officers fired off eight shots, killing the captain, AP reported.
The man, 45, was airlifted to a hospital but was pronounced dead a half hour later, Mokpo Hankook Hospital officials said, AP reported. The South Korean Foreign Ministry sent a statement of regret to the Chinese Embassy in Seoul.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.