SKorea: 1 dead after China captain stabs officers

Dec-12-2011
SEOUL: A Chinese fishing boat captain stabbed two South Korean coast guard officers, killing one and injuring the other, after his boat was stopped for illegally fishing in South Korean waters, officials said.

The fight happened after officers from two coast guard ships boarded the fishing boat to arrest the nine fisherman suspected of operating in Yellow Sea waters rich in blue crabs, anchovies and croaker, coast guard spokesman Kim Dong-jin said.

The Chinese captain resisted by wielding an unidentified weapon, Kim said.

A South Korean officer stabbed in the side was taken by helicopter to a hospital in the nearby port city of Incheon but later died, Kim said. Another officer stabbed in the abdomen was to undergo surgery, and the Chinese captain had minor injuries from the fight, he said. They were also taken to the hospital.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry summoned China's ambassador in Seoul and lodged a strong protest, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported. The Foreign Ministry didn't immediately confirm the report.

There was no immediate comment from the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing.

The eight Chinese fishermen on the boat were arrested and were being taken to Incheon, the coast guard said in a statement.

The coast guard says it has seized about 470 Chinese ships for illegal fishing in the Yellow Sea so far this year, up from 370 last year. The coast guard usually releases the ships after a fine is paid, though violence occasionally occurs.

Chinese fishing fleets have been going farther afield to feed growing domestic demand for seafood.

In 2008, one South Korean coast guard officer was killed and six others injured in a fight with Chinese fishermen in South Korean waters.

Last year, a collision between a Chinese fishing boat and Japanese coast guard vessels led to a diplomatic spat between the countries over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)