No. of Chinese boats fishing illegally near NLL more than double despite crackdown

About 190 Chinese fishing boats were operating illegally near the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea early this month, up from about 80 in late August despite a government crackdown. The Coast Guard and four ministries announced joint measures on Aug. 27 to remove illegal gear, strengthen enforcement and block fishing operations. The Coast Guard has seized 13 Chinese boats near the NLL this year, while enforcement remains difficult because vessels flee into North Korean waters.

The early-month figure was 50 boats lower than the 240 counted a year earlier, although boat numbers typically rise during the autumn fishing season.

The Aug. 27 measures included deploying more Coast Guard special operations personnel, installing artificial structures and revising the law to penalize vessels anchoring for purposes unrelated to passage.

The vessels are described as “three-no” boats because they lack registration papers, a home port and a name, and they are also unlicensed in China.

Chinese boats often cross between the two Koreas and flee into North Korean waters when seizure operations begin.

The Coast Guard, supported by the Navy, seized 13 Chinese boats near the NLL this year, compared with four during all of last year.

Published Oct 9, 2026 12:29 pm KST

Chinese fishing boats seized near Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea are seen in the photo. Courtesy of Korea Coast Guard

The number of Chinese fishing boats operating illegally near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea has more than doubled since the government announced a sweeping crackdown in late August, the Korea Coast Guard said Friday.

About 190 Chinese boats were operating near the de facto inter-Korean sea border early this month, up from about 80 in late August. The figure is 50 fewer than the 240 counted a year earlier, and the number of boats typically rises during the autumn fishing season.

The Coast Guard and the ministries of foreign affairs, unification, national defense and oceans and fisheries announced joint measures Aug. 27.

They included deploying more Coast Guard special operations personnel, forcibly removing illegal fishing gear, installing artificial structures to block illegal fishing and revising the law to penalize vessels that anchor for purposes unrelated to passage.

The Coast Guard said at the time that its goal was to drive all Chinese fishing boats out of the area.

Foreign vessels are banned from fishing in the waters, but Chinese boats exploit the division of the Korean Peninsula, crossing back and forth over the NLL. The boats are so-called “three-no” vessels — lacking registration papers, a home port and a name — and are unlicensed in China as well, so they stay in the area for long periods to avoid Chinese authorities on their return.

They often flee into North Korean waters when a seizure operation begins, making enforcement difficult. Tensions surrounding the crackdown have also risen since a land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone last month worsened inter-Korean relations.

With the Navy’s support, the Coast Guard has seized 13 Chinese boats near the NLL so far this year, more than triple the four seized in all of last year.

“We believe the government-wide measures are gradually starting to curb illegal fishing by Chinese boats as they are carried out one by one,” a Coast Guard official said. “We plan to continue cracking down firmly to root out illegal fishing by Chinese boats.”

本月初，约有190艘中国渔船在西海北方界线附近非法作业，高于8月底的约80艘，尽管政府已采取打击措施。8月27日，海警局和四个部委联合宣布采取措施，清除非法渔具，加强执法力度，并禁止非法捕鱼活动。今年以来，海警局已在北方界线附近查获13艘中国渔船，但由于部分渔船逃往朝鲜水域，执法工作仍然困难重重。

月初的数字比去年同期统计的 240 艘船少了 50 艘，尽管秋季捕鱼季节船只数量通常会增加。

8 月 27 日的措施包括部署更多海岸警卫队特种作战人员、安装人工结构以及修改法律，对与航行无关的船舶抛锚行为进行处罚。

这些船只被称为“三无”船，因为它们没有登记文件、船籍港和船名，而且在中国也没有获得许可。

中国船只经常往返于朝韩之间，并在扣押行动开始时逃往朝鲜水域。

今年，在海军的支持下，海警在北方海域附近查获了 13 艘中国船只，而去年全年只查获了 4 艘。

发布于2026年10月9日下午12:29（韩国标准时间）

照片显示的是在西海延坪岛附近海域扣押的中国渔船。图片由韩国海岸警卫队提供。

韩国海警周五表示，自韩国政府8月下旬宣布全面打击以来，在西海北方界线附近非法作业的中国渔船数量增加了一倍多。

本月初，约有190艘中国渔船在朝韩实际控制的海域边界附近作业，高于8月下旬的约80艘。这一数字比一年前的240艘减少了50艘，而渔船数量通常会在秋季捕鱼季节增加。

8月27日，海警与外交部、统一部、国防部和海洋渔业部宣布了联合措施。

这些措施包括部署更多海岸警卫队特种作战人员、强行移除非法捕鱼工具、安装人工结构以阻止非法捕鱼以及修改法律以处罚与航行无关的船舶抛锚。

当时，海警表示，其目标是将所有中国渔船驱逐出该区域。

外国船只被禁止在该水域捕鱼，但中国船只利用朝鲜半岛的分裂，频繁往返于北方海域。这些船只被称为“三不船”——没有注册文件、没有注册港口、没有船名——而且在中国也未获得许可，因此它们在该区域停留很长时间，以躲避中国当局的检查。

当查封行动开始时，他们往往会逃往朝鲜水域，这使得执法行动难以进行。此外，上个月非军事区发生的地雷爆炸事件也加剧了朝韩关系紧张，围绕此次打击行动的紧张局势也随之升级。

在海军的支持下，海警今年迄今已在北方海域附近扣押了 13 艘中国船只，是去年全年扣押的 4 艘的三倍多。

“我们相信，随着各项政府措施逐一落实，正在逐步遏制中国渔船的非法捕鱼活动，”一位海警官员表示。“我们计划继续严厉打击，彻底根除中国渔船的非法捕鱼活动。”