South Korean Coast Guard seizes two Chinese fishing vessels near NLL

The South Korean Coast Guard, in a joint operation with the Navy, seized two Chinese fishing vessels for illegal fishing near Baengnyeongdo. The incident occurred approximately 39km northwest of the island, where the vessels had crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) by up to 6km.

During the enforcement action, the vessels—which were operating using a paired 'double-net' method—ignored orders to stop and attempted to flee by cutting their shared nets. Authorities successfully captured the two 150-ton steel vessels and escorted 48 other Chinese fishing boats out of the territory.

A total of 31 crew members were taken to a dedicated Coast Guard pier in Incheon for investigation. Officials stated they are intensifying crackdowns during the autumn fishing season to protect maritime sovereignty and marine resources.